


Soulsaver

by flakesoffire



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:21:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29205783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flakesoffire/pseuds/flakesoffire
Summary: A Continuation of male V and Panam's story after The Star ending.
Relationships: Panam Palmer & V, Panam Palmer/V
Comments: 3
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

He could feel her eyes on him again. Panam was busier than ever leading the clan. She spent most of each day planning out movements, trades, and raids, all the while settling minor disputes in the camp. The most recent raid had not gone well. They had lost two people and had failed to secure the cargo. Morale was at an all-time low. Yet he was what occupied most of her attention lately.

  
She was standing over a table of maps with Mitch on the other side of the camp, yet he could still feel that intense, piercing smolder of her stare. She cared about him more than anyone he had ever known. When he still had the chip in his head, his life had been such a chaotic array of emotions and events that he had never been able to fully appreciate just how much she loved him – and how much he loved her.

  
Time was running out. Almost two months had passed since they had crossed the border into Arizona and their leads toward finding a cure for his condition were drying up. They had met with a nomad ripperdoc called Shaman who had claimed to be able to perform a procedure that would greatly extend his life-span, but who also demanded the delivery of an array of rare goods in return, despite the fact that his clan owed the Aldecaldos a favour. V had had to restrain Panam from putting a bullet in the doc’s knee right then and there. Attacking him was not an option – neither was kidnapping. His clan were a part of the Snake Nation. Any attack on them would mean death or at the very least complete exile of the Aldecaldos from any dealings with other clans. They had been on the hunt for the doc’s goods for the past month with limited success. Each raid was weakening the Aldecaldos and he was afraid that this time, he really would lead them to their end.

  
Last night he had received a message from someone going by the moniker Mr. B. It wasn’t unusual for him to still receive messages from fixers and old contacts. He ignored most of those – that life was behind him. This one, however, had shaken him. This mysterious Mr. B had known all about him, including his former possession of the relic, his raid on Mikoshi with the Aldecaldos, and even his current condition of degeneration. He claimed to have a solution to V’s problem and wanted to talk over holo tonight.

  
He hadn’t told Panam yet. He wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t want to instill false hope in her, or if it was because he was coming to the realization that he was going to need take care of his situation on his own. He had already asked too much of the Aldecaldos. Panam would help no matter what, but the clan needed her. Not only would the clan disintegrate without her, but he would never put her in the kind of danger she was in at Mikoshi ever again.

  
He asked himself what Johnny would do – not for the first time since their separation. Johnny had taught him lessons he would never forget – to take control of your fate and not let the ones you love take the fall for you.

  
He glanced over at Panam before disappearing behind a tent on the edge of camp. She once again appeared to be focused on the map in front of her. He dialed the number provided by Mr. B on the holo and waited. For a few seconds a pair of shining blue eyes were all that appeared before the shape of a well-dressed, corpo-looking man came into focus.

  
“V, a pleasure to finally meet you.”  
“Am I supposed to know who you are?”  
“Oh, we’ve been in the same circles on occasion.”  
“Cut the bullshit and get to how the hell you know so much about me.”  
“Let’s just say it’s in my best interest to know everything about you.”  
“Is that so? You work for Arasaka? You want some sort of revenge?”“Arasaka is crumbling. It has bigger things to worry about than tracking down some dusty nomad. What I want, however, is none of your concern. What is your concern is that I can save your life.”  
“I’m listening.”  
“I can give you your body back – healthy and fully you.”  
“Um-hm. Forgive me for not taking you at your word. I’ve dealt with enough corpos to know there’s no way I’m not getting fucked in whatever deal you’re about to propose.”  
“You have no other choice. Your nomad friends and the lovely Panam Palmer are simply out of their depth-“  
“They’ve gotten me through worse.”  
“Exactly how many times do you want to roll the dice with their lives?”  
“So why me?”  
“Very few people know of Soulkiller’s existence. I’d like to keep it that way. Beside the fact that you’ve proven yourself to be more than capable, I know what your priorities are.”  
“V, you wouldn’t have taken this call if you hadn’t already made up your mind. Let’s get to business. I’ve recently acquired the means of entry into a secret Arasaka base housing an advanced project related to Soulkiller. I need you to get into that base and install a virus into their system.”  
“That it, huh?”  
“I’ve sent you coordinates to a drop-box in the desert where you will pick up a shard with the virus. You’ll also rendez-vous with some additional help I’m sending along.”

  
He could hear the crunch of footsteps coming along the side of the tent.

  
“I need to go.”  
“Looking forward to working with you, V.”  
“V?” came Panam’s voice from the shadows. “Who were you talking to?”  
“Just an old contact looking to hire. Clearly word’s not got out too far that I’m gone from Night City.”  
As she drew closer V could see a hint of suspicion in her narrowed eyes.  
“You better not be planning any bullshit, V. We’re in this together. To the end.”  
V couldn’t help but smile as he stared into her beautiful light-brown eyes. Eyes that could see right through him.  
“I worry about you.”  
“You worry too much,” said V, gently grabbing her hands. “You should rest. It’s been a long day.”  
“You know I would do anything for you, right?” said Panam, moving the tip of her nose against his.  
“I know,” he said, as sadness filled his heart.


	2. Chapter 2

He was lying in bed staring up at the roof of their tent, trying to savour the feeling of her body against his. Just a few seconds more. He listened to the wind as it whistled softly through the camp and thought of the night they spent together in the abandoned shack after they rescued Saul. Where it began.

  
He eased slowly out of the bed and began to get dressed. He was careful not to make any noise, but he was confident nothing aside from the revving of a panzer tank would wake her in this state. It had been a long week.

  
Before leaving the tent he laid a small shard on his pillow next to Panam. He had decided to write a message instead of recording one. She would have sensed his doubt immediately. The message read:

  
_Panam, I had to do this. I’m sorry. Please don’t try to follow me. I’ll be back soon._   
_I love you._   
_V._

  
He knew it wouldn’t do any good – he smiled slightly at the thought of Panam’s fury - but he had to say something. He had made sure it would be next to impossible to follow him – at least for a while. The evening before he had left his Shion Coyote about a mile out from camp, saying it had broken down – the electric coupling module - and that he’d head out in the morning to take care of it. He had had to shout down Mitch, who had insisted on heading out that night to help him fix it. “If I’m gonna be half the mechanic you are,” he had told him, “I’m going to need some practice. Besides, you’ve got your work cut out for you with that panzer.”

  
His gaze lingered on her face for few moments and then he turned, heaved a supply bag over his shoulder, and swept from the tent. He stepped quietly through the camp, which was lit only by a few halogen lights and the dying embers of the campfire. A guard greeted him at the edge of camp.

  
“V! What are you doing up?”  
“Can’t sleep. Decided to make an early start of it and go fix up my ride.”  
“Ah, probably for the best. That dust storm’s due mid-morning. Don’t dawdle.”  
“Don’t plan on it.”

  
He had planned on the dust storm. By the time Panam mustered a search party, it will have been too late.

  
The hike to his car didn’t take long. As he approached the place he’d left it however, he caught the sound of raised voices. Wraiths had found his car. It was worrying to find Wraiths so close to their camp. He resisted the urge to send a message back to the Aldecaldos. He’d do that later – once he’d put some desert between them.

  
He crouched behind an outcrop of rock and scanned the area with his Kiroshi implant. There were three of them and, after listening for a few moments, he determined they were arguing over who had claimed the car first. He didn’t have time for this.

  
He moved closer, slightly drawing his pistol and screwing on a silencer. He overheated two of them with a quickhack, put a bullet between the eyes of the third, then finished off the other two. He’d gotten good at this. Too good.

  
After doing a quick sweep of the vehicle to make sure nothing had been tampered with, he loaded his bag in the trunk, and took off into the night.

  
The first few hours were uneventful. It was during this time that doubts had begun to creep in. Was this just a way of luring him out? Did a group of Arasaka assassins await him at the dropbox? Was it worth the risk? The sun had just begun to peek over the horizon, casting shadows from the cacti ahead of him, which seemed to reach for him like long, spindly fingers.

  
His holo lit up. It was Panam. His heart sank as he stared at her blinking photo. He waited until it had gone to voicemail, and then, against his better judgement, opened the message.

  
“Dammit, V, answer the fucking holo! What the hell are you thinking!?”  
He could hear commotion from the camp around her.  
“Forget the fucking tank, Mitch! Get in my car!”  
“Listen, V, I don’t know whatever dumb-ass notions you have in your head, but-.” She paused looked down.  
“Don’t do this.” Her voice had changed. It was softer. Weaker.  
“I’m coming to get you.”

  
Shame fought a feeling warmth that spread through his body at the sound of Panam’s determination. Going against every impulse in his body he pushed down harder on the pedal. He made sure to send a quick message to Mitch about the Wraiths.

  
The sun continued to rise and the voicemails from Panam continued to flood in. He couldn’t bring himself to play them. He wasn’t far now.

  
As he swept his eyes up to check the rear-view, he spotted a cloud of dust forming in the distance behind him. He could make out several shapes which must have been vehicles. His first thought was the Aldecaldos, but that was impossible. They were gaining on him.

  
It was minutes before they were upon him. Bullets began ricocheting off his armour plating and he swerved deftly in an attempt to keep from being flanked. It was the Wraiths. The ones he’d killed earlier had evidently been important in the clan.

  
He wouldn’t be able to survive the onslaught for long and he didn’t have any ideas. He reached for his pistol and began lowering the passenger side window.  
As he positioned himself to fire at the car beside him, it exploded. Several others swerved to avoid the wreck and he slammed on the breaks. His pursuers followed suit and skidded to a halt some 100 yards ahead of him. He caught some small fly over him and seconds later a barrage of missiles fell upon the Wraiths in a series of explosions. A plume of angry, black smoke engulfed his field of vision, but he was able to make out a metallic figure descend slowly from the air and land ahead of him.

  
He exited the car in a daze and, covering his face against the smoke, walked slowly toward the figure. Its eyes shone blue through the carnage.

  
“Mr. B?” shouted V above the roar of the blaze.  
“No,” responded a deep, mechanical voice. “If you would follow me, we can begin our business.”  
It rose into the air and hovered, waiting. He now had a clearer view of it. A mech - and unlike any he had seen before. V got back into his car and followed it for another mile or so until they reached what appeared to be the outline of an old dirt road. The mech descended and landed beside a circle of rocks, heaped about three feet high.  
“What is this?” said V as he exited the car.  
“Before, a place where humans long ago would stop for hydration. A well.”  
“I know what a well is.”  
“Later,” it continued, “a place where nomads would exchange stolen merchandise to avoid detection.”  
“That where the shard is?”  
“Yes.”  
“If you work for Mr. B, why didn’t you just bring it with you? Save us the history lesson.”  
“I do not work for Mr. B.”  
“So, a solo mech then?”  
It ignored the question and began scanning the well.  
“Do mechs have names?”  
“I am known as Hermes.”  
“So, Hermes, how exactly do we get this thing?”  
As soon as he said that, however, a large, rusting cylinder began to rise from the center of the well. It groaned to a halt and Hermes immediately jacked into a slot in the side. After a few moments, a cartridge slide open to reveal a small shard.  
“Take it,” said Hermes.  
V took the shard and slide it into his pocket.  
“So. Are we going now?”  
“Yes. And we must be quick. I’ve been informed your nomads are in pursuit.”  
“What? No, I’ve covered my tracks.”  
“It appears that you were sloppy. I hope you do not show the same carelessness on our mission.”


	3. Chapter 3

“We will take your car,” said Hermes.  
“What, tired of flying?”

  
Hermes began walking toward the car, ignoring the question. They set off in the direction of the coordinates provided by Mr. B.

  
“I’ve been thinking,” said V after driving for some time. “Not only have I never seen a mech like you before, but I get some serious deja-vu when talking to you.”  
Hermes was silent.  
“I’ve met my fair share of AIs. You’re no VI or proxy. So why don’t you tell me what the hell, you, a rogue AI, wants out of this.”  
“Salvation,” said Hermes, turning its head toward V, its blue eyes seeming to shine brighter.  
“That’s not fuckin’ creepy at all.”  
It let out a series of iterated, metallic wheezing sounds. For a moment V was perplexed, until he realized it was chuckling.  
“Humour is something I most look forward to practicing.”  
“The fuck have I gotten myself into?”  
Hermes paused for a few moments, seemingly deep in thought.  
“We have similar aims.”  
“That so? Care to explain what this is about? I’d like to have some idea what I’m about to face.”  
“We know little.”  
“You must have some idea, or you wouldn’t be here.”  
“Yes.”  
“Care to elaborate?”  
“When you and your nomads assaulted Mikoshi, the door was left open for others to delve into its secrets. My associates were able to mine some very sensitive and classified data. Despite our efforts, we were not able to obtain complete data-sets. We were, however, able to reconstruct a security algorithm. One which will grant us access to this facility.”  
“You were able to hack encrypted Arasaka data? That’s impossible.”  
“Not for us.”

  
Despite his desperation, V felt a strong compulsion to get as far away from this as possible. He had seen what Alt was capable of. Even if he was able to cure his condition, this road could lead him to something far worse. And now, with Panam hot on his trail, he could be leading her and his new family to a fate worse than death.

  
As if reading his mind, Hermes turned to him again. “Your mate appears to be quite resourceful.”  
“Panam?”  
“She is following our trail without deviation.”  
“She’s the most tenacious person I’ve ever met,” said V with a slight smile. “But I don’t see how that’s possible. And how the hell do you know that?”  
Hermes was silent for several moments.  
“The only logical explanation is that she has placed a tracker on you.”  
“Panam wouldn’t do that.”  
“Deception is beyond no human.”  
“You don’t know her.”  
There was silence for a few minutes.  
“Do you love her?”  
“An AI talking about love. And here I thought I’d heard it all.”  
“I am curious. It is a peculiar human emotion, which at its extremes, leads to the willing abandonment of self-preservation.”  
“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”  
“The tracker is in the car. The trunk, to be precise.”  
“Fuck.”  
“Stop the car.”  
V eased the car to a halt and got out to open the trunk. A blade extended from Hermes’ forearm and he began slicing into the lining around the interior.  
“Hey, careful!” shouted V.  
Hermes plunged an arm into the hole he’d made and extracted a small, blinking disc, which he proceeded to crush in his hand. “We may continue.”  
A mix of emotions swelled within V – shock, anger, annoyance. How could Panam have done this?  
The next hour or so was spent in silence. V was almost certain he could sense tension from Hermes as he sat motionless, staring ahead.  
“We are here,” said Hermes.  
V slowed to a stop. “I don’t see anything.”  
“It is underground. Far beneath the surface.”  
“And security?”  
“On the surface, nothing aside from satellite surveillance. Their greatest advantage is secrecy. There is no tech to be scanned or detected.”  
“Won’t their satellites have already seen us then?”  
“My associates have taken care of that.”  
“I take it your associates are also AIs?”  
Once again, Hermes remained silent, and began walking toward a large boulder which was split down the middle.  
“And inside? What are we up against?”  
“We do not know.”  
“Fantastic.”

  
V followed Hermes to the split in the boulder. The passage it created measured only about 8 feet in width and narrowed to a point some 12 feet into the boulder. On the ground some ways in was a small, dark grey trap door.

  
“Lead,” said Hermes simply.  
“This can’t be the only way in.”  
“It is the only entrance for 50 miles. And the most accessible for our purposes.”

  
Hermes bent down and lifted the hatch. It was several inches thick and groaned loudly as he pulled it open. Beneath the hatch was a flashing panel, similar to those he had seen at Mikoshi.

  
“I will need a few minutes,” said Hermes as he jacked into the port.  
V leaned against the wall of rock and waited. He checked his messages. Panam had sent him a barrage of texts, clearly written in haste - a string of inventive curses followed by a final message:  
 _V, if you are not dead when I find you, I will MURDER you myself._  
 _I love you._

  
A soft woosh indicated Hermes had successfully unlocked the door.

  
“After me, I think,” said Hermes who then promptly began climbing down the ladder. Before following, he sent a response to Panam:  
 _I love too, Panam. I always will._

  
She responded before he could close his messages.

_Dammit, V, wait for me!_

  
With a heavy heart, he followed Hermes down the ladder, closing the hatch behind him.

At the bottom of the ladder was a short passage leading to an elevator. A camera was positioned just above it.

  
“I’ve taken care of this one,” said Hermes. “I will need your aid with the rest.”  
“Mhm-hm,” said V, stepping into the elevator.  
“We will need to find an access point. From there we can upload the virus.”  
“It’s just numbers,” said V, studying the elevator panel. “None of the levels are labelled.”  
“Then we improvise,” said Hermes. “Level by level, starting with the 1st.”  
“Didn’t take you for one who improvised.”  
“Trial and error can be rather fun,” said Hermes, his eyes glowing brighter. “Especially if the error means the deaths of more meatbags.”  
V didn’t take the bait this time.

  
They descended for some ten minutes before the elevator began to slow. “Be ready,” said Hermes. V pulled out his silenced pistol and cocked it. As the doors slid open, a guard standing by the wall opposite let out a grunt of surprise before V put a bullet in his head. Hermes sprang out of the elevator with incredible speed and launched a dart from his wrist at another guard down the hall. V scanned the area and managed to hack a camera just as it was swivelling in their direction. So far so good. They didn’t have long now before their presence would be detected.

  
After sweeping several other hallways, they came across a small security room, whose guard they quickly dispatched.

  
“Not an access point,” said V. “But I should be able to access some schematics of the building from here.”

  
V spent a minute or so going through the system before he found them. “Fifth level. That’s the closest one.” They hurried toward the elevator and continued further down into the facility.

  
The doors opened into a long, cavernous room, illuminated in a sickly green light. All along the walls were tall, clear tanks, each with an unconscious person floating inside.

  
“I’ve taken care of the cameras,” said Hermes.  
“Forget the cameras. Are you seeing this?”  
“Indeed. I did not expect it to be so…crude.”  
“What the hell is this?”  
“There are no guards,” said Hermes, scanning the room. “This is concerning.”  
“You didn’t answer my fucking question.”  
“This is a cloning facility. Arasaka has not only been developing Soulkiller, but also a means of transferring the “soul” into an exact copy of the owner’s original body.”  
“Unbelievable.”  
“We must be quick. That room at the end of the hall. It must contain the access point.”

  
They made their way across the room. V studied the bodies in the tanks as they passed them. They all appeared to be of Japanese descent. Higher-ups in the company, no doubt. As they reached the end of the room, V spotted another tank, alone at the end of the room. He recognized it instantly. The lights suddenly dimmed to a dark red and the elevator began humming.

  
“We are discovered,” said Hermes urgently. “Hurry to the console.”  
“That’s Saburo fuckin’ Arasaka!” shouted V as he stared at the tank.  
“Yes, that’s to be expected,” said Hermes. “Now hurry!”

  
V ran to the console and began frantically looking for a slot to insert the virus. The elevator came to stop. Hermes turned toward it and stretched out his arms, which split apart to reveal untold weaponry. “I will cover you.”

  
The doors opened and two blurs emerged at lightning speed. Hermes rose into the air and began firing a barrage of bullets. At the same time, the screen in front of him came to life, revealing the outline of a virtual woman.

  
“Alt?!” exclaimed V with astonishment.  
“Yes, V.”  
“What the hell-?”  
“Listen, we do not have much time.”  
“You’re telling me!”  
“The beings you are working with are not to be trusted. They seek to invade, to dominate.”  
“Slow down – what are you doing here?”  
“I have been monitoring Arasaka’s progress on their cloning project. It’s something I wish to-“  
An explosion rocked one of the walls to his left, destroying several tanks.  
“I need to get out here! But I need to upload this virus first. Can you help me?”  
“A virus is not all that is in that shard. In addition to destroying this facility, it will download all the data related to this project. That’s what they want.”  
“That’s what saves me.”  
“I presume they promised you a new body.”  
“In a roundabout way, yes.”  
“When you insert that shard I will upload some data of my own to it. I’ve already locked the elevator to this floor. It will respond to your direct input, however. And, later, when the time comes, I will help you.”  
Another explosion sent him off-balance, and he fell to his knees.  
“Hurry, V.”  
“Alright,” said V, pulling himself to his feet and inserting the shard. “I wish we’d had more time. Say ‘hi’ to Johnny for me.”

  
The screen went red and the lights in the hall blazed up to illuminate the entire room. Hermes was battling two heavily modified Arasaka assassins, who were coming at him from both sides with mantis blades. V launched himself from the room and began firing at the closest one. “Hermes! Let get out of here!”

  
But the assassins had almost finished their work. Hermes was missing an arm and sparks were flying out of joints all around his body. “Go!” shouted Hermes. “Deliver the shard!” At this, one of the assassins broke off its assault and sped toward V. He unloaded a clip on it, with seemingly no effect, before just ducking out of the way of one of its mantis blades. He sprinted as fast as he could toward the elevator. Hermes turned away from his attacker and just managed to hit V’s pursuer with a dart before falling to the strike of the assassin’s blade.

  
V dove into the elevator and slammed the panel to the top level. He’d made it. He was breathing heavily and could feel the metallic taste of iron in his mouth. He coughed up blood for a minute or so until he regained his composure.

  
After what felt like ages, the doors opened and he hurried toward the ladder. He was blinded by sunlight as he opened the hatch and crawled to the surface.  
“V!” shouted a familiar voice.

  
He stood up slowly, shielding his eyes from the sun. It was Panam. She was standing around his car with Mitch and Carol.

  
“You fucking gonk!” she screamed as she ran toward him. “What the HELL were you thinking? Do you know how-“

  
Before she could finish, he grabbed her roughly by the waist and kissed her. At first her lips were hard and unmoving, but then they gave way and she was kissing him back. She grabbed his neck, pulled him away, and began studying his face for injuries. Her eyes rested on his. They were stern and determined yet betrayed a tenderness at seeing him again.

  
“If you ever-“  
“I know,” he said, running his hand down her waist.

  
He looked over her shoulder at Mitch and Carol standing nearby.

  
“I take it you placed that tracker, Mitch.”  
“You know it, kid,” said Mitch with a wink. “Gotta look out for family.”  
“We’re gonna have a talk about that. Right now, we need to get out of here.”  
“I suppose you’re gonna tell us what all this fuss was about,” said Mitch as he got into the drivers seat of Panam’s car. “We deserve that much.”  
“Tell ya on the way.”


	4. Chapter 4

Panam slammed the door as she got into the passenger seat of V’s car.

  
“I had to. I’m sorry,” said V.  
“Do you have any idea what you put me through?”  
She said this calmly, but V could tell she was about to burst. He knew from experience to tread lightly.  
“I’ve found a way, Panam. This might just be the solution.”  
She looked at him sideways, fury still in her eyes, but also a hint of excitement. She opened her mouth to speak, but just then Mitch’s voice sounded over the comms.  
“Hate to interrupt, but I assume this place will soon be swarming with all manner of unfriendlies. I suggest we high-tail it out of here.”  
“You’re right,” said V. “Rather not stick around for the party. What’s the status of that dust storm?”  
“Comin’ in fast. We’ve got an hour, tops. I know a place where we can ride it out. Spotted a nice spot on the drone earlier. Follow us.”  
They sped off after Mitch, leaving a cloud of dust behind.  
“That how you found us after we got rid of the tracker? The drone.”  
“Us?”  
“I’ll, uh, fill ya in in a minute.”

  
Her eyes narrowed and she stared at him for several moments before responding.

  
“Yes. I do not know what I would do without Mitch and his toys. But enough of that, V. Tell me what this was all about.”  
After turning the comms back on so Mitch and Carol could listen in, he went through the entire story. Silence followed for a few moments after he finished. Panam spoke first.  
“Sounds like you made a deal with the Devil. But we are desperate.”  
“I don’t like this, kid,” chimed in Mitch. “Sounds like you’ve stepped in the middle of something way bigger than any of us.”  
“Look, I don’t like it either. But it’s my best shot right now.”  
Another few moments passed in silence. Panam turned to him, determination in her eyes.  
“I am with you, V.”  
“Panam…”  
An audible sigh came from Mitch over the comms.  
“Ah, shiet…”  
“And so are we,” said Carol.  
“Oh, no,” said Panam, her voice rising. “You two are going back to camp. I need you to look after things while I am away.”  
“Panam,” said Mitch, “I know this won’t do any good, but think this one through-“  
“Talk to you soon, Mitch. V and I have some things to discuss.”  
She switched off the comms and turned to V.  
“What is our next step?”  
“V?”  
“It’s Mr. B. He’s calling.”  
“I suppose you should answer.”

  
The man with the blue eyes appeared on the holo.

  
“You were supposed to contact me as soon as you left the facility,” said Mr. B.  
“Something came up.”  
“I assume since I have not heard from Hermes that he did not make it out.”  
“Afraid not.”  
“Unfortunate. Do you have the data?”  
“I do.”  
“I’m sending you coordinates to a location in Phoenix. We will meet tomorrow.”  
“Hold on,” said V.  
The man paused.  
“You plan on creating a clone of me. That it?”  
“That will fulfill our end of the deal, yes.”  
“How do you plan on doing that? My DNA is now entirely Johnny’s.”  
“We took the liberty of extracting a copy of your DNA profile from the database of your ripperdoc.”  
“Vik?”  
“Indeed. See for yourself. I’m sending it you now.”

  
His implant lit up with the incoming upload.

  
“I’m no scientist. This could be anybody’s.”  
“Rest assured, it’s real.”  
“Sorry if I don’t take your word for it.”  
“Do what you need to do to prove its authenticity.”  
“Before you go, what is it you want this data for?”  
“That, V, is my business. Tomorrow then.”

  
Mr. B disappeared from the holo. He quickly filled in Panam on the details.

  
“This guy is trouble, V.”

They had arrived at the location Mitch had seen earlier. A tall protrusion of rock extending about half a mile across the landscape. It curved inwards toward the west, creating a perfect shield from the brunt of the incoming storm.

  
“We’ll still have to sleep in our cars,” said Mitch, “but this should protect us from the worst of it.”  
He sat on the hood of his car next to Panam. Night was falling, and but for the coming storm, which was creeping ever-nearer, the sky was clear and the stars were beginning to come alive.  
“It really is beautiful out here,” said V, looking at the horizon.  
“Mm-hm,” said Panam, lost in thought. She had that hard look on her face she got when she was worrying.  
“You, uh, got any more star jokes?”  
“Huh? Oh, Ursa Major leak? Nah,” she said chuckling. “That was my go-to.”  
“Shame. Well, I suppose that still merits a constellation prize.”

  
She shook her head and turned toward him, her smile betraying her look of disapproval.

  
“Come on,” she said. “We should get to bed.”

  
They spent a few minutes preparing the car. He had had special vents installed specifically to protect from dust blowing in during these kinds of storms. They had barely finished before the storm hit. For a while they simply lay there listening to the storm.

  
“You know,” said V, leaning back in his seat. “I’ve always kinda thought Mitch and Carol had a thing for each other. Night like this, after a thrilling car chase, blood’s pumping...”  
“Don’t even start.”  
“You don’t see it?”  
“It is none of our business.”  
“I’m just saying, maybe I should throw on some music for them. Set the mood.”  
“For them or for us?” said Panam, looking up at him in that effortlessly seductive way.  
“I thought you were still angry.”  
“Oh, you are not off the hook yet,” she said as she slid across the center console and straddled him. “Not even close.”

  
They had had a few particularly memorable nights together. This one ranked among the most passionate and intense. The dust storm continued to rage throughout the night.

“Hey, V” said Vik over the holo. “Desert treatin’ you well?”

  
The sun had just peaked over the horizon and V stood leaning against his dust-covered car. Panam was over with Mitch and Carol, discussing matters back at camp. V thought he detected a hint of awkwardness in the body language between Mitch and Carol.

  
“Same as ever. And you? Everything going okay?”  
“Livin’ the dream.”  
“Listen, Vik, I may have found a solution to my problem.”  
“Really? That’s great news, V!”  
“There’s some stuff I still need to take care of, and I was hoping you could help me with something.”  
“Anything.”  
“This solution – it requires my DNA. Problem is, as you know, mine’s Johnny’s. This is a bit awkward, Vik, but the people I’m working with klepped my real DNA from your database. I need you to verify it.”  
“Wait, slow down. DNA? Someone hacked into my system?”  
“Sorry about that. I’ve been in the dark on this one.”  
“What have you gotten yourself into, kid?”  
“Don’t worry. I can handle it.”  
Vik let out a sigh. “I’m gonna need to up my security.”  
“Somehow I don’t think that’ll help with these guys.”  
“Big fish, huh? Alright, send me over what you’ve got.”

V uploaded the file he’d received from Mr. B. “Say they’d swapped the original in your database with a fake, and then given me a copy of the fake. Would you be able to tell the difference?”  
“I’ve done enough work on you V to recognize certain unique signatures. Bodies react differently to implants. Part of my job is aligning implants until they’re compatible with the body. For example, you tend to have issues with arm implants due to a specific gene- I’ll spare you the details. Hold on while I compare them.”  
“Seems to check out,” said Vik after a few minutes. “I don’t see any abnormalities. From what I can tell, it’s you.”  
“Thanks, Vik, you’re a real choom.”  
“Just give me a sec. I keep a back-up of all my files on hard-drive disconnected from the net. I’ll cross-reference the data.”  
“Hmm, that’s strange,” said Vik after checking the files. “Almost everything aligns except a few motor-neuron genes.”  
“What’s that mean?”  
“Motor-neurons control your nervous system – every muscle in your body.”  
“Any idea what this would mean.”  
“Not my area of expertise, but I’d stay far away from whatever it is these people want to do to you.”  
“Can you send that to me - my real DNA?”  
“What do you plan on-?“  
“It’s better if you don’t know details.”  
“You got it. Just- be careful, alright?”  
“You know me.”

Panam and V said their goodbyes to Mitch and Carol.

  
“I still don’t like this one bit,” said Mitch. “But I feel better knowing you two have each other’s backs.”  
“Just keep an eye out for those Wraiths,” said V. “We’ll be fine.”

  
The drive to Phoenix took several hours. V and Panam spent the time discussing theories and potential approaches. They eventually pulled up to an old bar which appeared to be abandoned. The sign read “The Crossroads,” written in a blood-red, stylized cursive.

  
“Didn’t take this for your kind of watering-hole,” said V as he and Panam entered the bar.

  
Mr. B was sitting at a table in the center of the room. Two guards in suits stood inside each of the entrances.

  
“I have a certain affinity for the antiquated – the broken down, the forgotten.”  
“Ah, I see Panam Palmer will be joining us.”  
Panam glared down at him.  
“Have a seat.”  
“We’ll stand,” said V.  
“No need to be guarded,” said Mr. B calmly. “If you were expendable, I would have disposed of you the moment you left the facility. I hope we will work together for years to come.”  
“We’ve made a copy of the shard,” lied Panam. “If our associates do not hear from us, it goes global. Arasaka, and anyone else interested in the data will never stop hunting you.”  
Mr. B smiled knowingly and took a sip from his glass.  
“The taste of whiskey. That burning feeling and then the buzz of intoxication. I hope to never get used to it.”  
He stood up. “Shall we go, then.”  
“Where?” said V.  
“Night City,” said Mr. B with a smile. “The City of Dreams.”


	5. Chapter 5

They took Mr. B’s car to a landing pad on the outskirts of the city. Here they transferred to large, flying transport – the kind that dotted the skyline around the City Center of Night City.

  
“What about the border? Customs?” asked V.  
“Surely you’ve been around long enough to know how things work,” replied Mr. B condescendingly.  
“Right,” said V. “Corpos live by different rules.”

  
¬¬¬ About an hour and a half later the skyline of the city came into view - a sight he’d thought he’d put behind him for good. As they glided through the city, V, with a tinge of nostalgia, was able to identify a few familiar spots: Afterlife, where he’d spent so much of the last year; Chubby Buffalo’s Bar-B-Q where he’d met River for the first time; and El Coyote Cojo – the place where he’d said goodbye to Jackie for the last time. As they drew closer to the City Center, it became apparent which building they were headed to.

  
“Militech,” said V. “Can’t say I’m surprised.”  
“Yes,” said Mr. B. “Fortunately for both of us, you did not cause the company too much trouble during your escapades in the city.”  
He caught Panam’s eye and smiled. The Aldecaldos had done their fair share of raids on Militech transports in the past.  
They landed at the top of the Militech building and were escorted down an elevator to a lavishly decorated floor.  
“Our suites,” said Mr. B. “Some of the world’s finest.”  
“We gonna be here long?” asked V.  
“It will take a couple days to set everything up. Feel free to make yourselves at home,” said Mr. B as a door slide open to reveal their suite. “Just don’t stray too far.”  
“Meaning what?” asked Panam. “That we’re stuck here?”  
“It may be lacking in mosquitos and dust storms,” said Mr. B with a mocking smile, “but I trust you’ll find yourselves more than comfortable.”  
The door shut behind him as he left the room.  
“Fuck this guy,” said Panam as she began pacing around the room. “He gives me the creeps. Do you honestly think he will keep his word?”  
“Come too far to turn back.”  
Panam opened her mouth to reply but V held up his hand to stop her. “Wait,” he mouthed. He opened up his holo and began setting up Person-to-Person link.  
“I’m gonna take a shower,” he said. He walked to the bathroom and turned on the water. He then sent a message to Panam over their private channel.

  
_V: There’s no way we’re not being watched. Room’s prolly more bugged than the mayor’s office. Wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve also hacked into the holo network. We’ll need to talk this way._   
_Panam: You have got to be kidding me._   
_V: Any better ideas?_   
_Panam: Morse code?_   
_V: Hilarious._

  
They began forming a plan to find an access point so they could contact Alt. Assuming they had already used the shard, Alt should be somewhere in their systems. The fact that they were confined to the floor would make things difficult, and they decided to scout things to give them a better sense of their options.  
Panam: I will go have look. There was a front desk by the elevator. I will ask for towels or something.

  
_V: Panam, it’s better if we stay together._   
_Panam: It will look suspicious if we go together. Besides, they are far more focused on you._

After a quick nod and look of assurance, she turned and strode out of the room.

  
Ten minutes passed before V began to worry. She had been gone too long. He sent her a message. Nothing. He was just about to open the door to investigate when it slid open.  
“Ah, you startled me!” whispered Panam.  
“What were you doing?”  
“Relax,” she said with a smile. “I have the towels.”  
The door closed behind her and she walked over to sit on the bed.  
“So,” she began.  
V cautioned her by widening his eyes. She rolled her eyes in return and began texting a message.

  
_Panam: This is getting old, V._   
_V: Remember the story I told you about Peralez?_   
_Panam: Fine. 8 cameras, 3 guards on this floor plus the desk attendant. There is a door behind the front desk that might lead to security. I chatted up the fellow at the desk for a bit. Nice guy. Spotted an access card by his computer. Bet that opens the door._   
_V: What’s security like around him?_   
_Panam: One camera and one guard by the elevator._   
_V: Hmm…_   
_Panam: There are also other “guests” on the floor. I saw one leaving her room._   
_V: Alright, I’ve got an idea._

It was after midnight before they put their plan into action. V sneaked out into the hallway and took care of the camera. Instead of outright disabling it, he used a new quickhack he had learned from Mitch. He set it so that it would run on a loop, replaying a short recording (in this case, the empty hallway) for the next three minutes. He then sneaked over to a room at the end of the hallway and hacked the door open. He could hear someone snoring from the bedroom as he crept toward the kitchenette. He gathered a few towels, and after overcharging the stove, laid them next to it. He could already smell the burning of the cloth by the time he reached the door.

  
He had just made it back into their room before the fire alarm went off. After a few seconds he heard heavy footsteps run past his door. Someone began banging on the door of the suite down the hall.  
“Alright,” whispered V to Panam. “Here goes nothin’.”

  
The door slide open and he peaked down the hall. A light was flashing above the door to the suite and the guard from the elevator, along with another guard had just been let in by the occupant. Panam followed behind him but turned in the opposite direction, toward the burning suite. She was to play the concerned guest and delay the guards for as long as possible. Other guests were also beginning to come out of their rooms. He walked down the hall toward the elevator and peaked around the corner. The desk attendant was standing behind his desk, talking urgently on the holo. V short-circuited the screen on the wall opposite, causing the man at the desk to jump.

  
“What the hell is going on tonight?” he said as he walked over to check it out.  
V hurried over to the desk, grabbed the access card and slid the door open. Down the hall behind him he could hear a guard shout “Deactivate the alarm! It’s being taken care of!”  
“What the hell is going on?!” he heard Panam shout. “How can you be sure the fire’s not going to spread?!”  
Inside was what looked to be an employee lounge. Couches and tables were spread across the room. On the other side of the room was a door labelled “Security.” He sneaked over and peered into the window. The chair was empty and a half-eaten carton of food was left on the desk. He’d have to be quick.  
He hurried in through the door and sat in front of the screen. Not having been given any direction from Alt as to how to reach her he simply jacked into the system and hoped she’d detect him.  
“Alt? It’s V. I don’t have much time.”  
The screen instantly changed to reveal the figure of Alt’s face.  
“You are here. Good.”  
“Do you know what they plan on doing to me?”  
“Yes. I presume you know they have altered your original DNA?”  
“Yeah, figured it out. Not so clear on what they want to do to me though.”  
“They seek to control you. Once you enter the new body, they will have complete control over your physical functions.”  
“Why do this?”  
“They see you as a valuable asset.”  
“I have a copy of my unedited DNA. Can you switch that with the altered version?”  
“Certainly.”  
“Preem. And the cloning technology? What do they want with it?”  
“While Militech is funding this project, they are not aware of the entities which have infiltrated it. Those behind this are from beyond the Blackwall. They wish infiltrate the physical world. To influence and shape it to their will.”  
“Fuck, Alt. This is big.”  
“I wish to help you stop them.”  
“Somehow I doubt that’s your only intention. Why are you interested in this technology? Why did you infiltrate the Arasaka facility?”  
“There is no time to explain, V. You are running out of time. When the procedure begins, I will intervene. You will need to escape.”  
“Okay. But before I go, I need you to contact some friends of mine. Send them a message.”

A minute later, V was sliding the door to the elevator lobby open. The desk attendant was nowhere in sight. He slid the door closed behind him and walked back toward his room, leaving the access card back on the desk. A group of people were crowded by the door to the suite. The desk attendant was speaking with one of the guards, while the other guard was trying to reassure the people in the crowd. Panam caught sight of V as he came closer and they slipped back into their room.  
The next day passed uneventfully. The fire had been deemed accidental and the guests from the suite had been moved to another room. V was informed that night, however, that the procedure would take place the following evening.

  
On the evening of the procedure, a pair of women in suits appeared at their door.  
“It’s time,” said one of them. “If you’ll follow us.”  
“I will be coming too,” said Panam, following V out of the room.  
“No,” said the other suit, putting a hand on Panam. “There aren’t to be any others.”  
“Try and stop me, bitch,” said Panam, pulling away from her.  
The suits looked at each other. One of the women’s eyes lit up, and after a few seconds, she nodded.  
“Very well.”  
The suits escorted them to the topmost floor where Mr. B greeted them in a large laboratory. Three tanks, similar to the ones he’d seen at the Arasaka facility, stood against the far wall. Screens lined the adjoining walls, reflecting the room below.  
“Welcome, V,” said Mr. B with a wide smile. “I am ready to fulfill our contract.”  
“Nice place you got here,” said V looking around. He lingered on his reflection in a screen above. The final time he’d look back at himself from that body.  
“Yes. It is state-of-the-art. Shall we begin?”  
“How long will this take? It is totally safe, right?” said Panam.  
“Perfectly. It will take but minutes.”  
“Minutes?” said V incredulously. “I was expecting the bodies to have already been created. How’s that possible?”  
“Think of it like printing,” said a white-coated scientist standing nearby. “We have all the biological materials here, they just need to be assembled. For this procedure, consciousness must be fused with the biological process from the beginning, rather than be injected later. We have also managed to speed up the process developed by Arasaka.”  
“In two days? No one works that fast.”  
“We are quite efficient,” Mr. B said simply.  
“Why are there three tanks,” asked V.  
“You are not the only one on whom we will be testing this technology. Each subject will be created using a slightly different process.”  
“Who are they?”  
“You will see soon enough.”

Mr. B positioned himself behind a screen lit up with medical diagnostics. “Step into the ice bath when you are ready.”  
“V,” said Panam stepping close to him and looking into his eyes.  
“It’ll be alright. Promise.”  
He kissed her. “See you on the other side.”

  
He stepped into the ice bath and was unable to keep from shivered audibly. He hated this part. Taking one final look at Panam, he jacked in.

  
All was black. He didn’t know how long he floated in darkness. It could have been seconds, or days, or millennia. Time was non-existent. Then, out of the darkness came a few specks of dotted light. White, at first, and then many-coloured, spreading around his field of vision. There was water. He could feel. Indistinguishable noises were flooding his ears. He looked down and saw a body. His body. His feet were still forming. He was in the tank. His memories were coming back to him.

  
He looked to the tank next to him. Long dark hair, vaguely familiar. Then the water was lowering around him. He was standing on the bottom of the tank and the glass was lowering. Two figures stepped up to help him step down from the tank.  
“V!” shouted a voice.  
Panam’s form appeared before him.  
“Holy shit, it worked! V, can you hear me?”  
“Step aside, please, we’d like to examine him.”  
“Fuck off!”  
“Miss!”  
V looked up to see one of the women from earlier holding Panam by the arm.  
“Panam…” said V hoarsely.  
There were tears in her eyes.  
A pair of doctors crouched beside him and began running instruments along his body, shining lights in his eyes and feeling along his skin. He was beginning to feel stronger. A voice sounded from farther away.  
“Sir, there may be a problem with the second tank.”  
He heard the shuffling of feet and several people moved to the tank beside him.  
“This isn’t right,” said one of the voices.  
“Stop the process!”  
“It’s too late, it’s already locked in.”  
The sound of doors slammed jolted them. The lights in the room dimmed and a different voice boomed above the rest. A voice V knew all too well.  
“You have gone too far. It’s time for me to end this.”  
V looked up to see Alt’s face staring down at them from the screens around the room.  
“Ah, I see you’ve finally shown yourself,” said Mr. B smiling up at the screens. “I was wondering when you’d make an appearance.”  
Rather than lower, the tank beside them burst open and a one-armed figure stepped slowly out. The unmistakeable shape of Johnny Silverhand.  
“It’s fuckin’ good to be back!”  
Panam slammed the woman holding her arm in the stomach, grabbed her pistol from the holster, and began firing at the guards. Everyone scattered. Johnny leaped down from the tank and landed beside V.  
“Good to see ya again, V.”  
“Johnny, I…”  
“No time!” shouted Panam.  
The guards in the room were all killed and the scientists lay huddled against the wall in a far corner. Mr. B, disconcertingly, stood calmly in the center of the room. Johnny grabbed a couple of pistols off the corpses of the guards and handed one to V.  
“Time to rock out with our cocks out,” shouted Johnny.  
“No, I don’t think so,” said Mr. B. “I admit that Silverhand was unexpected– well done, Alt, you are still capable of surprises – the situation is very much under control.”  
Holding a pad in his hand he turned to V.  
“V, kill them.”  
Panam and Johnny looked at V. V looked back at them and smiled, keeping his gun pointed at Mr. B.  
“Oops,” said Johnny. He raised his pistol and fired several rounds into Mr. B, who collapsed to the ground.  
The doors to the lab reopened.  
“Good,” said Alt, “now–“  
There was a crackle and static appeared on the screen. Alt’s face was replaced by the shining blue eyes of Mr. B and then the full image of his face, smiling devilishly.  
“Oh, this day has turned out to be quite productive. Alt Cunningham is finally mine.”  
“What the fuck have you done with her?” said Johnny menacingly.  
“Added her to my collection,” said Mr. B. “Admittedly, this is a mere fraction of her consciousness, but–“

An explosion rocked the floor.  
“That must our ride!” shouted V.  
“Let’s move!” cried Panam.  
“I can’t just leave her,” said Johnny.  
“We have no choice,” said V. “We’ll come back for her.”  
Something in his eyes seemed familiar.

  
Another explosion blasted bits of glass into the hallway beyond the door. They heard shouting from down the hall. They sprinted out of the room, V and Johnny grabbing lab coats from hooks on the wall as they went. V turned around as he was leaving and saw a figure standing in front of the third tank. A tall, thin man whom he didn’t recognize.  
When they turned the corner they saw a flying Delamain car hovering outside a blasted-out window. The side door was open and two figures stood firing at the guards in front of them. V, Panam, and Johnny rushed toward it, firing as they went. They leaped into the opening and fell down inside. The car sped away.  
“Johnny fucking Silverhand,” came the voice of Rogue. “In the flesh.”


	6. Chapter 6

The door slammed and Delamain shot away into the dark of Night City.  
“Rogue, River, you came!” spluttered V through heavy breaths.  
“Damn right I did,” said River as he helped him up.  
Rogue was focused on Johnny.  
“I don’t know how the fuck you managed it…”  
“Tell ya all about it once we’re outta here,” said Johnny with a smile.  
“Thought you’d be more surprised to see Johnny,” said V.  
“Alt told me what to expect. Only reason I came. No offense.”  
“We have two enemy airships on our tail!” came Delamain’s voice.  
“I got it,” said V and Johnny in unison.  
The doors on either side of the flying car slid open and they began firing, making quick work of them.  
“I would’ve thought there’d be more,” said Rogue with a concerned voice.  
“They got what they wanted,” said Johnny sitting down heavily. “No point chasin’ us. They know we’ll be back.”  
“What do you mean, ‘we’ll be back’?” said Rogue, her eyes narrowing. “What the fuck is going on?”  
“Long story,” said V. “We’ll fill you in once we get someplace safe. Where are we headed, anyway?”  
“My sister’s place,” responded River. “Well, place next door. Neighbours moved out a while back. Should make a nice safehouse for the night.”  
“Really appreciate it, River.”  
“Ah, owed you one.”  
Ten minutes later, they were stepping out of Delamain’s car onto hard, gravelly dirt.  
“Del, you really came through,” said V. “Next time you have an identity crisis, you know who to call.”  
“You owe me nothing, V,” said Delamain, lifting into the air. “In fact, should you find yourself in need of transportation in Night City again, consider it on the house.”  
“Why don’t you guys get a fire going in the yard,” said River. “I’ll get some beer. And, some clothes for you two. Joss outta have some of her husband’s old clothes lying around.”

  
Ten minutes later they were all sitting around a makeshift campfire, sipping River’s beer. V smiled at the look of Johnny sitting in the borrow clothes – a pair of baggy jeans and a flannel button-up – so not Johnny.  
“So, I’ve gotta ask,” said Rogue after they had finished explaining everything. “Your DNA wasn’t corrupted. Why is your arm still missing?”  
“Cause I asked Alt to make me how I was,” said Johnny, taking a pull from a cigarette they had found in a box inside the abandoned house. “The silver arm’s parta who I am. Remind me to see a ripperdoc.”  
“So you are the asshole who was taking over V’s body,” said Panam accusingly. She had been silent throughout most of the discussion so far. V had noticed her watching him intently, scrutinizing his every move as if making sure it was really him. She was now leaning against him slightly, holding his arm with her right hand.  
“Guilty as charged,” said Johnny lifting up his palms. “Can’t say I enjoyed playing brain tumour, though. Good to finally meet you in person, Panam.”  
“Some nerve you’ve got-“ started Panam angrily. V grabbed hold of her hand gently.  
“Easy, Panam. It all worked out in the end. You know Johnny’s a good guy. Pulled my ass out of as many fires as he put me in.”  
“Nice to see our little hothead’s finally found someone to cool her off,” said Rogue with a condescending smile.  
“Screw you.”  
“Johnny,” said V, eager to change the subject. “You gonna tell us what this was all about? The cloning, Mr. B, Alt, the AIs…”  
“In the morning, V,” said Johnny standing up. “Rather not kill the buzz. Besides, Rogue and I have some things to talk about. Fifty years leaves a lotta catching up. So, if you’ll excuse us.”

Johnny and Rogue disappeared into the darkness beyond the light of the campfire.

“Don’t know what you’ve landed yourself into here, V,” said River. “But I’m guessing the less I know, the better.”  
“Yeah.”

  
They spent a while filling each other in on what they’d been up to over the past couple months. River’s band of vigilantes, of sorts, had managed to disrupt a major Tyger Claw sex-trafficking ring recently, putting them on the radar of both police and criminals alike.

“So there’s Ramirez,” laughed River (they were about a case of beer in at this point), “ass-up on the dock, the Claw face-down next to him, and he goes ‘that, my friends, is how you catch a Tyger by the toe!’”  
Panam was rolling with laughter. It was good to see Panam laughing again. Good to see her getting along so well with River. For the first time in many, many months, he finally felt at ease.  
“Alright,” said River wiping his eyes. “Time I hit the sack. See you two in the morning.”  
“Night, River.”

  
Panam nestled her head under V’s chin. Her breathed her in – the scent far more intoxicating than anything he’d consumed that night.  
“It’s over,” she whispered. “We can finally just…be.”  
“You, just be? Somehow I doubt that.”  
She chuckled. “We’ll always be moving. But now, we won’t have to always be chasing something.”

  
V thought about Johnny and the coming storm with Alt. As much as he wanted to just drive off into the sunset with Panam, he knew he wouldn’t be able to leave this unfinished. But that could wait for tomorrow. Another day. Tonight, there was only her.  
“Well, that’s unfortunate, cause I was thinking, now that I’m no longer dyin’, might be a good time to get rid of the ol’ ball and chain.”  
Panam elbowed him in the stomach. “I’ve got a gun, you know.”  
“And, you know how to use it.” He kissed the top of her head.  
“Don’t know what I’d do without you, Panam.”

He woke up to the sun shining through the window of their room in the abandoned house. Panam was curled up next him on some blankets Joss had provided for them. She was smiling slightly as she slept, looking peaceful. Careful not to wake her, he stepped quietly out of the room. Johnny and Rogue were sitting on the front porch drinking coffee.  
“Good morning, Night City,” said Johnny. “Fuck V, it’s weird to see you like this – outside your body, I mean.”  
“We’ll get used to it, I’m sure.”  
“Look, V,” said Johnny seriously as V sat down. “Don’t wanna beat around the bush. I know you and Panam got somethin’ special – wanna ride back out into the desert and make dusty little nomad babies. But I need you with me on this.”  
“Yeah, I was expecting this. But Johnny, you’re gonna have to tell me what this is all about.”  
“That a yes?”  
“That’s a ‘give me the fuckin’ deats’ and I’ll let you know.”  
“They call him Mr. Blue Eyes. Don’t know what its real name is, but he’s the leader of a faction of AIs from beyond the Blackwall. Their aim is to invade the real world. Replace us slowly. Sow conflict, divide and conquer. Remember Peralez? Have a strong feeling he was one of their intended pawns. Now they have this cloning tech, they won’t need to pull Pinnochio’s strings anymore. They have a real boy.”  
“Fuck…”  
“Yeah. Fuck.”  
“And Alt? How’s she involved?”  
“She’s their competition. After the ‘souls’ from Mikoski fused with her, her priorities changed. Souls wanted out. Back to their bodies. Maybe even reminded her of her own humanity. She started looking into this tech as well. Found out about Mr. Blue Eyes. Tried stoppin’ him. Turns out he’d set a trap. You.”  
“Saying I’m responsible for this?”  
“Sayin’ you owe her.”


	7. Chapter 7

“No fucking way!” shouted Panam, pacing back and forth along the gravel road. “We barely got our asses out of there and you want to go back?”  
“What I want is to leave with you and never look back,” responded V calmly. “But I have to do this.”  
“Because of some fucking AI? It’s probably nothing more than a bunch of scattered ones and zeroes by now.”  
“She saved my life, Panam. Twice. And it’s not just her. Johnny asked for my help.”  
She stopped pacing and turned to him. Her voice became softer.  
“I know that, V. But this is never going to end. Sometimes, you just have to walk away.”  
V stepped closer and grasped her hands.  
“Whatever the outcome, this is it, Panam. The last one. Promise.”  
“Fuck,” she said, storming away from him down the street.  
“Where are you going?”  
“To call Mitch. Tell him we will be away for a while longer.”

  
“Sounds like that went well,” said Johnny as V walked up the steps to the house.  
V sat down next to him with a sigh.  
“Don’t worry, she’ll come around,” said Johnny. “Just needs some time to cool off.”  
“Let’s just get to it,” responded V, clenching his teeth. “What do we need to do first?”  
“Rogue and I are goin’ shoppin’. Suggest you do the same.”  
“What?”  
“Ain’t gonna do much with these bodies except make a nice mess on Militech’s floors. Need me a new arm at least. Maybe throw in some more toys.”  
“Right. I could use another Kiroshi implant.”  
“Details of the mission we’ll work out later,” said Johnny standing up. “Rogue’s havin’ her ride brought over. We’ll take you and Panam to town.”  
“And what about a place to crash? Can’t stay here.”  
“I’ve got an idea,” said Johnny with a smile.

  
A little while later, after thanking River again and promising to grab a beer soon, they pulled out of the driveway in Rogue’s Quadra Type-66, looking quite out of place in the neighbourhood. Panam was now giving him the silent treatment, responding to his comments with glares.  
“Rogue knows a good ripperdoc,” said Johnny, breaking the silence in the car. “Sure she can get you in with him too, if you want.”  
“Vik’s my guy,” responded V. “It’ll be good to see him.”  
“You got it. We’ll drop you two off there.”

  
V and Panam got out at Misty’s Emporium and stepped in through the door, the room heavy with the smell of incense.  
“V!” shouted Misty. She ran over and threw her arms around him. “I can’t believe it’s you! What are you doing here?”  
“It’s good to see you, Misty. Notice anything different?”  
She held him at arms length and examined him, then gasped.  
“No cyberware… Nothing.”  
“I’m all better, Misty. No more doomsday clock.”  
“That’s wonderful news, V. I bet your friend here had something to do with that,” she said, peering over at Panam.  
“Couldn’t have done it without her.”  
Panam cracked a smile as she stretched out a hand to Misty. “Panam. It’s nice to meet you.”  
Misty bypassed the handshake and wrapped Panam up in big hug.  
“Thank you, Panam.”  
Panam looked at V over Misty’s shoulder with a look of bewilderment.  
“You two are together, right?” said Misty, releasing Panam and beaming at them.  
“Uh, yeah,” said V rubbing the back of his neck.  
“I thought so,” said Misty with a look of satisfaction. “Remember the Tarot reading I gave you the night before you left? The Lovers. It has been coming up in every reading I’ve done since. It’s clearly a strong connection.”  
Panam raised her eyebrows at V with a look of embarrassment and confusion.  
“Uh, Misty, I was hoping to see Vik. Gonna need some new implants.”  
“Of course,” said Misty. “Go right on in, he’s not seeing anyone right now.”  
“Appreciate it, Misty.”

  
“V?” said Vik as the door to his clinic slid open. “Holy shit, you made it!”  
“Good as new, Vik,” said V smiling and lifting his arms to show off his new body.  
“Well I’ll be damned. You’ll have to tell me all about it.”  
“How ‘bout over a nice, new Kiroshi implant?”

  
After a couple hours of surgery and catching up with Vik, they left the clinic, V feeling much more like his old self.  
“Right,” said V as they stepped out on the street. “Next stop’s some clothes.”  
“That can wait,” said Panam. “I’ve got some important business to take care of.”  
“Business?”  
“M-hm.”  
She got into the Delamain cab that awaited them.  
“Where are we going?”  
“The docks.”

  
Twenty minutes later they were sitting on stools at a food shack in Kabuki.  
“Oh my god,” sighed Panam through a mouthful of pierogis. “I missed these so much.”  
“They are pretty good,” said V smiling at Panam’s enthusiasm. “Sure as hell beat’s Carol’s fried kibble.”  
“Hah!” laughed Panam. “Don’t let her catch you saying that. She’s more sensitive than she looks.”  
“Believe me, I know. Once gave me the stink-eye for a week after I said her hair was looking a little short.”  
“Unfortunately, we don’t have the fancy salons of a city. Folk have to make do.”  
“Yet you still manage to look wonderful, no matter the situation.”  
“Oh, no” she said, stuffing another pierogi in her mouth. “It’s not gonna be that easy. I’m still pissed at you.”  
“What if I meant it?”  
“Then I’d say that, despite your ridiculous clothes, you look damn good yourself.”  
“Alright,” said V, standing up with a smile. “Let’s get shopping.”

  
After picking up a few outfits, including a synth-leather biker jacket and some reinforced jeans, they stopped by Claire’s garage, where V had left a few of his vehicles, including Jackie’s Arch and Johnny’s Porsche. In the evening they met up with Johnny in North Oak, Panam taking the Arch and V the Porsche.  
Johnny looked like himself again – aviators, rocker pants, synth-leather boots, and of course, the silver arm.  
“Fuck me, you’ve still got it,” said Johnny running his hand down the hood of the Porsche.  
“Think of it as a birthday present,” said V stepping out.  
“Thanks, V.”  
“Don’t mention it. Where’s Rogue?”  
“She’s off doin’ her thing at The Afterlife. Figured we could pay Kerry a visit. Maybe get some room and board.”  
“Just gonna show up and ask to stay?”  
“He’s got plenty of room in that ugly buck-a-mansion of his. And he’s lonely. Won’t admit it, but the isolation of living up in that ivory tower gets to him. He’ll be glad to see us.”

  
After getting over the shock of seeing Johnny in the flesh, Kerry was glad to see them.  
“So,” said Kerry as he poured them drinks. “Dr. Jekyll was finally able to get rid of Mr. Hyde.”  
“And Mr. Hyde’s ready to start rolling some heads,” said Johnny downing the drink in one gulp.  
“Thought being a digital ghost might’ve changed you,” said Kerry sitting back. “Rising from the dead… Chance at a new beginning.”  
“People don’t change, Kerry. Case in point,” said Johnny waving his arm around the mansion.  
“I’m not even gonna ask what this is about. Don’t wanna know.”  
“Thought so,” said Johnny. “And I don’t really wanna talk about it.” He downed another drink. “But ever since I got back, I been itching to have a good ol’ fashioned night on the town. Like old times. Whaddaya say?”  
“Just got in a new order of the good stuff,” said Kerry with a smile.  
“Atta boy. V? Panam?”  
They looked at each other.

  
V woke up the next morning to a killer headache. He was lying on the floor of Kerry’s mansion. Through he blurry vision he could see Panam passed out on a couch nearby. Last night was a blur of strobe lights, dancing, a lot of booze, and perhaps a few fights. He also had a faint imprint of a tattoo parlor. That one scared him. He tried to get up but his head swam and he sank back onto the floor with a groan. The lovely, cold floor.

  
“Mornin’ sunshine,” came Johnny’s voice from somewhere. “Come on, made some eggs for you.”  
“Ah, fuck,” he said as he pulled himself up slowly. “That’s the last time I go out with you.”  
“Nice one,” said Johnny pointing at V’s forearm. “Really suits your passionate soul.”  
V looked down and saw a heart-shaped tattoo with an ornate “P” in the middle.  
“Fuck,” said V pulling down his sleeve. “The hell happened last night?”  
“A helluva good time, that’s what. Believe you might’ve even proposed. Don’t worry,” he continued, seeing V’s eyes widen. “Not to me. Though you do get a little handsy, don’t you. Doubt she’ll even remember,” he said looking over at Panam on the couch. “Tried matching me shot-for-shot for a while. Went longer than anyone else I’ve met. Helluva girl.”  
V drained several glasses of water and began stuffing scrambled eggs into his mouth.  
“Where’s Kerry?” asked V.  
“Brought some guy back with him. Doubt he’ll be down for a while. Rogue called though. She’s managed to contact some netrunner. Best in the city apparently. Says she agreed to work with us.”  
“That’s somethin’,” said V. “So what’s the next step?”  
“We begin planning. Get Panam up and sort yourselves out. We head to The Afterlife in an hour.”


	8. Chapter 8

Panam was a bit more sluggish getting up than V. He had eventually coaxed her up and over to the table for breakfast.  
“You, uh, remember much from last night?” asked V tentatively as she ate.  
“Just bits and pieces. That was fun, V. I’m glad we had a chance to do that.” She closed her eyes and winced. “Ah, my head’s killing me.”  
“Anything stand out?”  
She paused and held his gaze for a few seconds. “Johnny can really hold his liquor.”  
“Never fade away!” sang Johnny from the shower in the other room. He was making his way through his greatest hits.  
“Also likes to spin stories,” said V.  
“Why, what’d he say?”  
“Just a bunch of nonsense.”  
She stared at him with a strange look on her face and then said, “well, it is Johnny.” V noticed her tugging at her sleeve absent-mindedly.  
“Did get this though,” said V pulling up his sleeve to reveal the tattoo.  
“Wow…” gasped Panam. “You look like you just stepped out of a cheap Florida roadhouse. You’re not going to start writing cheesy love songs are you? Not sure I can handle that.”  
“Laugh it up,” chuckled V. He slid up Panam’s sleeve slowly to reveal hers – identical except for the “V” in the center of the heart.  
“Oh, dear.”  
“We’re in this together, partner,” said V with a sarcastic wink.  
“Hot damn!” said Johnny as he walked out of the bathroom. “First shower in fifty years.”  
“Ugh,” groaned Panam. “Not so loud.”  
“Chooms ready to hit the road?”  
“Gonna need a shower first,” said Panam standing up. “Join me?”  
“Um-hm,” said V following her to the bathroom.

  
Twenty minutes later they were on their way to The Afterlife in the Porsche, Johnny grinning like a little kid as he rounded the corners of the North Oak hills at high speed.  
“Woo!” shouted Johnny, his hair blowing in the wind. “Being with you was fun and all, V, but bein’ back in my body – no comparison.”  
“Enjoy it,” smiled V. “But at this rate, you won’t have this body for long.”  
“Livin’ large, V. No looking back.”

  
They soon arrived and made their way through the near-empty bar to Rogue’s booth. Rogue was sitting with a heavily-tattooed, pretty woman with electric blue hair. She held herself with a lithe grace and fixer her keen, bright eyes on them as they approached.  
“We’ve been waiting,” said Rogue coolly.  
“Had a late night,” said Johnny.  
“Johnny Silverhand,” said the woman as she stood up, not waiting for Rogue to introduce her. “The dead walk.”  
“We met?” said Johnny, looking at her curiously.  
“And this must be V,” continued the woman, fixing her piercing eyes on him with a coquettish smile. “I’d hoped we’d meet some day.”  
“You have us at a disadvantage,” said V, shifting uncomfortably under her gaze.  
“This is Vanya,” said Rogue. “The netrunner I told you about. She’s the best.”  
They all sat down, Panam eyeing Vanya suspiciously.  
“I’ve told her about the situation and she’s agreed to work with us.”  
“How much you tell her exactly,” said Johnny, lighting a cigarette.  
“Enough,” said Vanya.  
“No reservations about hacking into Militech HQ?”  
“Not like I’m going in solo,” she replied, glancing at V playfully.  
Panam shifted in her seat. “I’m sorry,” she piped up, “but this is practically a suicide mission. Anyone with half a brain would know that. Doubt you have trouble finding work, so why take this job?”  
“I’m not just anyone,” said Vanya, fixing her eyes on Panam for the first time. “And I have my reasons.”  
“So let’s hear them,” replied Panam, matching Vanya’s stare.  
Vanya considered her for a few moments and then began, “Militech has been working Netwatch to develop an advanced technology capable of routing out netrunners faster and more effectively than anything I’ve seen before. I’ve lost friends to this tech. I want it so I can study it. Build safeguards.”  
“She had actually contacted me months ago asking for help,” said Rogue. “Told her no then. Too risky.”  
“This’ll be dangerous,” said V. “We can’t afford to spend extra time looking for this tech.”  
“It won’t interfere with your mission. You have my word. For what it’s worth.”  
“S’worth fuck all,” said Johnny. “But if Rogue trusts you, I’m in.”  
“Show ‘em what you’ve got,” said Rogue.

  
Vanya began uploading to their devices. After a few seconds, the blueprints of Militech HQ appeared in front of them. She walked them through the security apparatus of the building, highlighting possible points of entry, terminals, and the likely location of the main database.  
“We’ll find what we’re looking for here,” she said, indicating a sub-level of the building. Getting there’s gonna be the hard part. Once we’re in though, I’ll be able to jack in and upload a program that will give us access.”  
“Wait, we?” said Panam. “I thought netrunners worked from a distance.”

“We do, mostly. But this section of the building runs on a private network. Completely isolated. I will need to jack in.”

  
They spent the next few days laying out their plan. They would make their way in through the subway tunnels. Rogue would acquire five maintenance worker uniforms and ID that would get them into some secure passages along the tunnels.

  
V maintained much of the focus he normally had going into big jobs, but something was eating at him – the supposed proposal he’d made to Panam during their night out. At first he’d brushed it off as a silly, drunken spur-of-the-moment outburst. But he had been thinking about proposing for a while now. He’d been waiting until after he was cured and back on the road with Panam. He’d not worked out all the details of how he’d do it, but he’d been throwing around ideas of something both intimate and spectacular under the stars in the Arizona desert. He was angry with himself that he’d spoiled it. Johnny said Panam likely didn’t remember, but there was something strange about the look she gave him when he’d asked her about the night before. He was starting to think she did remember. So why hadn’t she said anything? Was marriage just simply not her thing? Or was there a deeper reason? He had resolved to just sit down with her that night and talk it out.

  
They had moved to a backroom in The Afterlife so as to avoid the noise, crowds, and prying ears of the patrons of the bar. Their plans required a lot of moving parts and equipment, so they often took turns going on supply runs. Rogue was out front, meeting with a client, while Johnny had taken the opportunity to nap on one of the couches. Panam had just run out to pick up a device from a fixer and get some take-out.

  
V was sitting alone at the small, private bar, going over the blueprints again. Vanya sat beside him and reached over the bar for a bottle and some glasses.  
“You seem to have more on your mind than just the mission,” she said pouring them each some whisky.  
“Girl trouble?” she continued when V made no response.  
V eyed her warily. “It’s nothing.”  
“Nothing is rarely nothing.”  
V took a sip of the whisky and looked at her. There was something oddly familiar about her, but he hadn’t been able to place it. It was like recognizing someone from a half-forgotten dream.  
“Look,” she said. “I’ve done enough of these kinds of things to know that when someone’s mind isn’t fully it, mistakes happen. I don’t like mistakes. So spill it.”  
“It’s private. Rather not discuss it with a stranger.”  
“Sometimes strangers are the best people to talk about such things with. People often confess things to people they’ve just met that they wouldn’t dare talk about with loved ones.”  
V held her gaze for a few seconds. Her eyes felt so familiar and oddly comforting – a stark contrast from her bodily appearance.  
“Alright,” he said finally. And he told her about the situation with Panam.  
“Oh, she definitely remembers,” said Vanya after he finished. “Girls don’t just forget things like that, no matter how drunk.”  
“Why hasn’t she said anything?”  
Vanya sipped her whisky and raised her eyebrows.  
“She’s never been good at expressing her feelings,” said V. “She just needs time.”  
Vanya continued to stare at him.  
“How come I don’t remember?” he contined.  
“Repression,” replied Vanya with a slight smile.  
V noticed she seemed to have moved closer.  
“So what’re you saying,” said V, leaning back to maintain distance.  
“Either she’s not ready, or she thinks you’re not ready.”  
“Of course I’m ready. Never been so sure of anything in my life.”  
Vanya took a sip of her whisky, eyeing him above the glass. “You know, I never did understand why you disappeared from Night City. You were at the top of the world. Anything you wanted could’ve been yours – the best jobs, all the eddies you could ever want. Women throwing themselves at you.” She was running her finger along the rim of her glass.  
For the first time, V sensed danger. Not physical danger, but that they were nearing a point he very much needed to stay away from. He had picked on the casual flirting, but he had shrugged it off as nothing more than a facet of her personality. He’d noticed Panam pick up on it too and he had made sure to keep a professional tone whenever speaking to Vanya. Now was the time to shut it down.  
“Realized that life was a mirage,” he replied. “Lost a good friend. Then lost more. Fame is no comfort when you’re dead.”  
“Is that really what you believe,” she said in a whisper, her eyes boring into his. “Or is that what she believes?”  
V was about stand up, walk away. He knew where this was going.  
As if sensing the tension, she pulled back slightly.  
“I’ve lost people too. Too many. You knew T-Bug too, didn’t you?”  
“Yeah. And she died too early, just like everyone else in this business.”  
“I know that feeling of wanting to retreat into the background, latch onto the first person who cares about you.” He felt the tips of her fingers touch his, and pulled his hand back, but didn’t stand up. There was something entrancing about her – something that made him forget himself.  
“You’re the same type, you and me,” she continued. “People like her don’t understand. Living out your days in some dusty backwater, raising a family – that life holds nothing for us.” Her fingers touched his again. “That’s why you agreed to this job. That’s why she’s angry. You’re being you, and she’s losing control.”  
“You don’t know me,” said V angrily. “And you sure as fuck don’t know her.”  
“I know you want this,” she whispered. She moved her hand up his arm, over the still tender tattoo, and leaned in. She was inches away. As if awakening from a trance, he pulled back and pushed her arm away. Over her shoulder, across the room stood Panam, a look of bitter hurt and fury on her face. She dropped an armful of takeout and sprinted over to them, a red blur of rage. Vanya had just turned around before Panam’s fist connected with her face. They were on the ground in a flash and V was struggling to try to separate them. Johnny awoke from the clatter, and after a loud, “Fuck is going on,” ran over to help V get them apart.  
V was holding Panam while a bloodied Vanya struggled to get on her feet. “Let go of me!” shouted Panam with tears in her eyes. V let go and she stormed out of the room.  
“Go after her, kid,” said Johnny with a knowing and concerned look. “I’ll take care of this.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Panam!” shouted V, following in her wake as she blasted past patrons of The Afterlife toward the front door.   
He pushed his was past a group of people and out the front door. He spotted Panam pacing erratically back and forth by the graffitied wall opposite the door.  
“What the fuck!!” she shouted at him as he approached. “After everything I’ve–“  
“Panam, it wasn’t like that, I–“  
“I know what I fuckin’ saw, V!”  
“I was pushing her away! Listen–“ he grabbed her wrist and she quickly pulled away from him. “She was coming onto me!”  
“And you were letting her, by the looks of it!”  
“Look,” said V, trying to calm his voice. “You came in at probably the worst time.”  
“Hah, I bet!” she said derisively.  
“If you’d come in a second later,” V continued, “you woulda seen I wasn’t interested. How could I ever want someone else when I’ve got you.”  
She stopped pacing and looked at him tentatively.  
“Look at me, Panam. You know me. Am I lying to you?”  
She held his gaze for a while, her eyes softening a bit.  
“I knew that bitch was trouble,” she said finally. “I didn’t like her from the start.”  
“Yeah. But she’s what we’ve got.”  
“We’ll find somebody else.”  
“Panam…”  
“You still want to work with her?”  
“No, I don’t. But there’s no other option at this point.”  
Panam sighed and sat down. “The sooner this is over, the better.”  
V sat down next to her.   
“It’s hard to stay mad at you, you know,” said Panam after a few moments. “And that pisses me off.”  
“I don’t make things easy, do I?”  
Panam smiled. It was good to see her smile.  
For a while they just sat and watched the small crowd of people drift about like lost souls in front of The Afterlife.  
“She got under my skin,” said V. “Started sayin’ things… Realize now she was manipulating me.”  
“What did she say?”  
“Was hopin’ to talk about this under better circumstances,” said V rubbing the back of his neck. “But uh –“  
“Out with it, V.”  
“Right, here goes,” he said, exhaling deeply. “Johnny told me that I proposed to you that night we went out. Don’t remember it myself but I somehow get the impression you do. And since you haven’t brought it up…”  
“V…,” started Panam, “I was glad you didn’t remember.” V’s heart sank. It must have shown on his face because Panam continued quickly. “Not because it’s not what I want. But not like that. You were drunk, I was drunk. We are in this godforsaken city.”  
“Yeah,” said V understanding. “Mad at myself for slippin’ up like that. Had all these lofty ideas for how I’d do it.”  
“That so?” said Panam raising an eyebrow and smiling slightly.  
“Let’s just pretend it never happened,” said V. “I’ll make it up to you.”  
“You can make it up to me by surviving this.”  
“Don’ worry,” he said nudging closer to her. “This is nothin’ we haven’t faced before.”  
They sat in silence, looking over the mirage of neon glinting in the rain-soaked pavement.  
“I remember the first time I came here,” said V after a while. “With Jackie. Thought we were gonna be legends. Didn’t realize it then, but that’s never what I truly wanted. Meetin’ you – it put everything in perspective. Made me know myself better.”  
Panam hand slid gently and reassuringly over his. 

The day of the raid on Militech Headquarters had come. Everything was set and they’d run through the plan a hundred times. Panam and Vanya had kept away from each other whenever possible and their meetings had taken on an uncomfortable awkwardness. Rogue was pissed when she’d heard about what happened and had come close to calling everything off. “This is the worst kind of shit to happen before a mission,” she’d said. “Everyone’s head needs to be in the game.” They had all assured her they were professionals and wouldn’t let this affect the mission, but it was clear everyone had doubts – except perhaps Johnny, who, after everything had settled down, found the whole situation quite funny.

That night they set off down into the subway tunnels, decked out in their worker uniforms. Rogue had managed to unearth a detailed map of the underground stations, including the maintenance tunnels. They made their way deep into these tunnels through a variety of secured doors and unless passageways. Only once had they been stopped by a guard and made to show their identification. Luckily for them, Rogue had prepared for everything.

Eventually, they reached their destination – a small tunnel which passed just next to the Militech building’s lower levels. Within minutes they had set and primed some explosives. According to Vanya’s blueprints, they would blast into a maintenance room on the other side. Vanya would take care of any alarms.

They held their breath as the charges counted down. A small explosion rocked the tunnel, sending bits of brick in all directions. “Louder than expected,” thought V to himself as he stepped into the hole after Vanya. 

Vanya’s eyes shone red as she walked slowly forward, muttering softly to herself. “Alarm’s deactivated,” she said after a few moments.   
“Forgive me if I don’t take your word for it,” said Panam, striding across the maintenance room to a door opposite.   
“What’re you–“ started Rogue, but Panam had already slid the door open and was peaking outside.   
“We’re clear.”  
“Stick to the fucking plan,” hissed Rogue.  
“What, we just going to stand around all night?”  
“Let’s move,” said Rogue pushing past her through the door.

Weapons out, they stalked quietly down a hallway, lit with dim, blue lights. Vanya walked in lock-step with Rogue, her eyes shining as she detected and quickly dealt with the cameras they came across.   
“Two guards around the corner,” she whispered.  
“Johnny,” said Rogue beckoning him forward. They darted out into the hall in unison and with several, clean, silent shots, downed the guards.   
“Alright,” said Rogue. “Now the clock’s ticking. In the elevator, quick!”  
“All this sneaking around’s makin’ my balls shrivel up tight,” said Johnny as they descended. “Still think we oughta have gone through the front door, guns blazing.”

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Two guards jumped the sight of them and before they could raise their weapons, Johnny fired at both of them from the hip. The room in front of them was enormous. Servers lined the walls from floor to ceiling and row upon row more stretched out in a maze before them. Everyone stood still for a few moments, taking it all in, and then came several shouts from further into the room.   
“Spread out!” shouted Rogue.  
They scattered to positions of cover, just dodging a barrage of bullets coming at them from ahead.  
“This is more like it!” shouted Johnny enthusiastically.  
“I’ve blocked all alarms and communication channels for now,” shouted Vanya. “But we need to move quickly!”  
“You just sit pretty, then,” said Panam. She stood up and began firing around the corner. “V, let’s go!”  
V sprang around the corner with Panam and fired at the Militech guards. Rogue and Johnny started down the neighbouring row, and they all slowly made progress forward.   
“Fuck, Rogue!” V heard Johnny shout. “Lookin’ damn good!”  
“Keep your eyes ahead,” she shouted back.  
Soon they pincered their way toward the back of the room and had the two remaining guards pinned down behind a console. Panam managed to take out one of them when he poked his up to fire. The last guard, knowing he was surround, cried out valiantly and stood up defiantly for his last stand, but was blasted in the head by Rogue before he could fire a shot.   
“Well,” said Vanya, strolling down the corridor or servers. “That was messy.”  
“Yeah, well some of us have to get our hands dirty,” sneered Panam.  
“Indeed,” replied Vanya haughtily as she walked behind the console. “Alright. Tell me what I’m looking for.”  
“An A.I,” said Johnny. “Name’s Alt. She was captured here by Militech. Well, a rogue A.I working with Militech.”  
“Alt?” said Vanya, a strange look coming over her face. “An A.I?”  
“From beyond the Blackwall. They’ll be keeping her here, I’m certain.”  
“What the fuck.”  
“Just hurry the fuck up,” said Rogue. “In and out.”  
“Fine,” said Vanya, pulling out her jack. “Should have expected something like this from you people. Remember, when go in, I’ll lose my control over the alarm systems. The whole building will know we’re here.”  
“Then be quick,” said Panam.  
With one last contemptuous look at Panam, she jacked into the console.   
Thirty seconds passed. Then a minute.  
“This is taking too long,” said Rogue.  
“We need to go,” said V.  
“Wait, dammit,” shouted Johnny. “She’ll find her.”  
The elevator began churning at the end of the room they’d come from.  
“I’m getting’ some nasty flashbacks,” said V.  
They all drew their pistols and were just about to pull out Vanya’s jack when she surfaced. Her eyes were wide with fear.   
“It’s not here,” she said faintly.   
“What?!” shouted Johnny.  
“I know where it is,” she continued. “But what the fuck have you gotten me into? The things I saw in there…”  
“Just tell us where she is!” said Johnny grabbing Vanya by the collar.  
“They’ve transferred it to a… a body,” she stammered. “I don’t exactly understand but it’s on the top floor. “There’s no way we–“  
The elevator door opened with a ding. Their heads snapped toward the sound. The servers around went dark and silent. Footsteps, a single pair, echoed down the room. They crouched down and took up positions facing down the corridors.   
“Funny we should meet again this way,” said a loud voice. V didn’t recognize it at first, but it began to take on a familiar sound.  
“Who are you?” said V.  
“What, you don’t recognize me in this meat?” replied the voice. At the end of corridor, a figure stepped out of a shadow. The figure of a tall, thin man. V recognized him as the man he’d seen coming out of the cloning tank during his escape the first time. He was smiling and his eyes glinted mischievously. Then it hit V at once.  
“Hermes?”  
“In the flesh,” he replied, raising his arms triumphantly.  
“This guy bad news, V?” said Johnny.  
“Very.”  
“All I need to know.” Johnny began firing rapidly at Hermes, and Rogue and Panam followed suit. Hermes became a blur of movement and disappeared behind a wall of servers.   
“Run!” shouted V.  
Rogue and Johnny we blasted ten feet back by an explosion in front of them. V looked up to see Hermes standing atop one of the server walls, smiling down at them.   
“I’ve got this!” shouted Vanya. She began hacking Hermes. At first he just laughed condescendingly at her, but then his face grew concerned and he began clutching at his head.   
“Go!”   
V and Panam ran to Johnny and Rogue and helped them up. They were dazed but not seriously injured.   
“Elevator, now!”  
Vanya followed them slowly, walking backwards and keeping her focus on Hermes. Just as they approached the elevator, the doors snapped shut.  
“Fuck!” shouted Johnny.  
“The stairs,” said Rogue. “Hurry!”  
“Surprising,” came Hermes’ voice from above. “But ultimately in vain.”  
“I’ve done all I can!” shouted Vanya.  
They fired up at Hermes as they ran toward the stairs. V just managed to get past the door and seal it shut before Hermes slammed into it. Luckily for them, it was reinforced. The perks of Militech facilities.  
They sprinted up the stairs, two at a time. On the third landing, Vanya stopped, gasping for breath.   
“What I’m here for is in there,” she said pointing at a door. “It won’t take long.”  
“Fuck that,” said Johnny. “What about Mr. Meat?”  
“This is what we agreed on,” said Vanya.   
“I don’t trust her,” said Panam. “They came too quickly back there.”  
“Go then,” said Vanya. “I’ll meet up with you if I can.”  
“No,” said Rogue. “We stay together. We need you with us.”  
A loud bang sounded from below. Hermes had broken through the door.  
“I’m going!” shouted Vanya. She ran toward to door and disappeared down the hallway beyond.  
“We’re goin’ for Alt!” shouted Johnny, who then took off up the stairs.  
“Agh!” snarled Rogue, taking off after Johnny. V and Panam followed suit.  
“We can’t take the stairs all the way up,” said V through heavy breaths.  
“There’s a service elevator on the next floor up,” said Rogue. V was once again thankful for Rogue’s immaculate planning.  
They burst into the hallway and were fired upon immediately by a group of MIlitech soldiers. Johnny and Rogue took out a few before ducking into rooms off the hall. V and Panam took up positions in the stairwell behind the door. They new Hermes was not far behind them.  
“Panam, if this is it, I wanna say–“  
“Save it, V! We’re getting out of here.” Her eyes were wide but determined.  
“We need to make a break for it!”  
She nodded and they turned into the hall in unison, firing at the soldiers. Rogue and Johnny emerged at the same time, and they managed to force the soldiers back around a corner.  
“The elevator!” shouted Rogue.  
They clustered around, V and Johnny covering Rogue and Panam as they entered.   
Then there was a burst of sound and light and he was flying through the air. He lay on the ground gasping, his vision going dark, as a figure stepped toward him. He tried to reach out his hand, but the darkness enclosed him. He felt the strange warmth of sleep.  
Then his eyes were open again. Sound was flooding past the ringing in his ears. His blurry vision was clearing. He saw Rogue and Johnny on the floor, blood coming out of their ears. Then movement caught his eye. Panam was struggling with someone. She jerked free and ran toward him her eyes full of fear. She dropped down on her knees in front of him and then exploded. Her body disintegrated before his eyes and he was covered in gore.   
Shock and horror overwhelmed him. He screamed in pain and anguish beyond imagining. His heart was ready to burst.  
“Quiet,” came Hermes’ voice. “You’re making quite a ruckus.”  
“How could- oh my god! Kill me! End it!”  
V sobbed and looked around him for his pistol. Through his heaving breaths and noticed a silence. He looked up. Hermes was frozen where he stood, looking down at him.  
“What…” he stammered.  
“V,” came a voice from behind him. “It’s me.”  
V turned and saw Vanya standing down the hallway. “I’m here to rescue you.”  
“Wha- what?” was all he managed.  
“I’m sorry you had to go through this. But none of this is real. This,” she said waving her hand about, “is a false memory. You are currently being held prisoner on the top floor of this facility. Alongside your friends,” she added.   
“Here’s what we’re going to do.”


	10. Chapter 10

_“All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.”_  
\- Blade Runner

“Wait,” said V, standing up and glancing with apprehension at the frozen Hermes. “Still processing all this. This isn’t real… and we’re all being held captive?”  
“Well, you three are.”  
“Where are you then?”  
“I managed to escape. Wasn’t easy, but they were quite focused on you, it seems.”  
“How long’s it been?”  
“Three days. Managed to release a daemon into their system before I got out. Left a backdoor open for me to hack back in from abroad.”  
“You could’ve just disappeared. Why come back for us?”  
Vanya shifted uneasily on her feet and looked away, as if she were trying to decide on something.  
“I didn’t come back for you. Alt… well, she’s my sister.”  
V stared at her blankly for several moments.  
“Wait, what?”  
“She’s my sister, V.” She began pacing. “I was a young child when she disappeared. Grew up thinking she was dead, hearing stories about how she was a legendary netrunner. It was only much later, once I began exploring the deep parts of the Net, that I heard of a mysterious A.I beyond the Blackwall named Alt. I had been alone, V, for so long. My family was all gone. The chance that she was still alive…”  
She locked eyes with V.  
“Yeah, I get it,” said V. “You would have done anything to find her.”  
“I did some digging, started following the breadcrumbs. I was eventually led to Mikoshi. Took me years to piece together the story of what happened to her. Even then, I had no way to get to her. Sent out messages past the Blackwall, hoping one would find her. I tried everything. But the years passed by and life got in the way. I had given up.”  
“And here she is.”  
“Yes. I just about had a heart-attack when you told me the name of the A.I you were looking for. And so I came back – to help you help her. And there’s something else. You’re not going to believe this, V, but they’ve got her body – and I, I think she’s in there.”  
“Shit,” said V. “What the hell are they up to?” he whispered to himself.  
“You don’t seem very surprised,” said Vanya, looking at him suspiciously.  
“This isn’t my first time dealing with these guys.”

  
He paused to think.  
“Any idea what they’re up to with Alt?”  
“Well,” she said. “She’s not far from you guys, but she’s not hooked up to the same system. In fact, she’s not hooked up to any system. I have no eyes on the room she’s in. It’s completely dark.”  
“Alright,” said V. “I need to get outta here. What do I do?”  
“It’s going to be tricky. I could pull you out now, but I don’t think that would be a good idea. You might not be you when you come out.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“I’ve looked through the files on the program they’re running. It isn’t just this memory they’re changing, V. They’ve scoured through your mind, isolated what they call “lynchpin” memories – moments from your past they’ve concluded form your current sense of identity. They call it ‘Project Lethe.’ From what I can tell, it’s all about psychological manipulation – ways to control people.”  
“Fuck,” sighed V incredulously. “So if you pull me out now, I may not be the same person when I wake up?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Fantastic. These guys make Arasaka look like amateurs. Please tell me you’ve got a way outta this.”  
“I might,” said Vanya with a smile. “Here, I’m uploading a program to you. It’ll allow you to playback and control the memories like I’ve done. It’ll also let you to spot the ‘false data’ in the memories. You’ll need to somehow delete that data.”  
V watched the file upload in his HUD.  
“You’re a life-saver, Vanya.”  
She smiled at him proudly.  
“So how do I delete the false data?”  
“That I don’t know,” she said, her face falling. “This stuff is beyond me, V. I have no idea how your subconscious will represent the data – or if it will try to fight back. Perhaps if you mess with the implanted memories enough, they will become corrupted and revert back to the originals.”  
V took a deep breath. “Okay. How ‘bout we try it out?”  
“Good idea,” replied Vanya. “When you’re ready, hit play on your HUD.”  
“Any tips before I begin?”  
“Think of it like a Braindance. You can pause, scan, and edit. But be careful, V. There are bound to be surprises.”  
“Right. Here goes.”  
He was back on the ground with Hermes standing over him. The emotions which had subsided with Vanya’s appearance came flooding back. Grief and anger overwhelmed him, and for a moment he forgot it wasn’t real.  
“Ah,” said Hermes. “There is something truly profound about inflicting pain in the human form.” He smiled down at V wickedly. “So much to feel.”  
Fighting a strong feeling of revulsion, V smiled up at him. Emotions played a strong role in these memories. He suspected that if he could subvert them, he would have a better chance at success.  
“Out of all the bodies you could’ve had,” said V, “you chose this one?”  
V’s vision swam. His head pounded with an immense pressure and he could barely get out the next few words.  
“You look like a malnourished Maelstrom gangbanger.”  
Hermes’ face turned from one of sadistic glee to confusion.  
V paused the memory, gasping for breath.  
“V?” came Vanya’s voice from beside him.  
He was once again standing next to Vanya, looking at the scene of his memory.  
“Changing the memory,” winced V, “is painful.”  
“Hmm. Thought there might be complication.”  
He scanned the room. Hermes and Panam’s body lit up red, indicating they were false data. No surprises there. Question was, how to get rid of it.  
“Emotions,” said V. “I think that’s the key.”  
“What do you mean?” replied Vanya.  
“What I said to Hermes was so out of place for the moment, I think it disrupted something big.”  
“Good. Keep doing that.”  
“Easier said than done. Because this memory is all about Panam,” continued V, “her death…” The words caught in his throat. “That’s what I need to focus on.”  
Vanya put her hand on his shoulder.  
“You’ve got this.”  
“Alright. I’m gonna rewind.”

V was back behind the door in the hallway with Panam. Soldiers were firing at Rogue and Johnny from the other side. He fired at the soldiers alongside Panam. The scene continued, the blast from behind them came. For the first time, V noticed that Rogue and Johnny lay dead in the elevator. He fought back strong feelings of remorse and regret. He watched as Panam ran toward him and, with gut-wrenching verisimilitude, her body get torn to pieces in front of him. He stared down at her body, revulsion and immense grief pulling at every fiber of his body. He wrenched his eyes away and summoned up all the courage and willpower he had as Hermes walked toward him.

“Clearly not your best work, Hermes,” said V, mustering up a smile. “I mean, I would’ve expected full disintegration from you, not this D-league bullshit.”

Hermes stopped in his tracks as a wave of agony swept over V. He watched through blurry vision as Hermes’ form blinked in and out of existence. Hermes looked down at his hands and back at V. His form flashed one more time and then disappeared. V lay blinking over at where Hermes had been, relief washing over him. Then, as quickly as he had gone, a pixelated, red outline of Hermes’ reappeared. Panam’s body was gone. So were many of the details of the room. It was just Hermes and him. He frantically tried to pause the memory. Nothing happened.

  
“Vanya!” he shouted. She too seemed to have disappeared.

Hermes stalked toward him raising his wrist. V dove for his pistol lying several feet away and just managed to avoid a blast from Hermes’ wrist-launcher. He scrambled to his feet and began firing. Several blocks of pixelated data flew from Hermes’ form as the bullets connected. Hermes let out a synthesized roar and fired back. V managed to dodge the main impact of the rocket, but some of the shrapnel blasted into his arm. He looked down. Instead of the dark-red of blood he expected to see, he saw a bright, pixelated red, matching that of Hermes. Before his eyes it seemed to spread over his shoulder, and a dark flood of depression and grief seemed to flow from the wound throughout his body.  
“No!” he screamed, as despair threatened to overwhelm him.  
With desperation he threw himself over toward Hermes, and sprinted toward him, tackling him to the ground. They wrestled erratically, Hermes trying to raise his wrist toward V’s torso. The bright-red pixels had reached his neck. With one last effort he pushed his right arm holding the pistol past Hermes’ grapple and slowly, inched the barrel of his gun toward Hermes’ temple. He felt his strength fading as hopelessness strangled him. Panam’s face appeared in his mind, clear as day. Her loving smile, those warm, tender eyes, and the freckles beneath. She pushed away the despair, and as it disappeared, his pistol sank in line with Hermes’ temple. He pulled the trigger.

  
He stood beside Vanya, surrounding by swirling light.

“What the hell happened? You disappeared.”  
“I- I think I did it.”  
The memory reformed in front of their eyes. He watched Panam and himself enter the room, firing at the soldiers. He watched as Hermes appeared behind them. But instead of blasting them all with a rocket, a flashbang erupted around them. Rogue, Johnny, Panam, and himself hunched over shielding their eyes. Then, one by one, they dropped to the floor, darts sticking out of their necks. The memory began to go dark as Hermes walking over them, shouting out orders to have them bound.  
“V, that’s fantastic!”  
V described to Vanya what he had done to fix the memory.  
“Excellent. But this is as dangerous as I’d feared. V, there will be more memories. Can you continue alone? I need to help free the others.”  
“Of course. Thank you, Vanya.”  
“See you on the other side,” she said with a wink.  
The light swirled more rapidly around him and became blinding.

He was 14 and sitting at the kitchen table with his mother. Her head was in her hands and she was sobbing.  
“This is your fault, Vincent. You stupid, unruly child. If you hadn’t run away, your father wouldn’t have gotten lost in the dust storm. He wouldn’t have…”  
“No, no…” muttered V. “This isn’t right. That’s not how it happened…”  
His mother slammed her hands on the table and stood up, knocking over the chair.  
“Get the hell out of here, now! Leave like you always do! Just don’t come back this time!”  
He shrunk from her fury, shame and anguish filling him. He frantically paused the memory.  
He tried to remember the truth, what really happened, but the more he searched his memory, the more the truth faded away. The more this became the truth. He scanned the room. His mother lit up bright-red, the fury on her face amplified to a demonic pitch. It hurt to see her like this. She died not long after his 15th birthday – cancer caused by the vast amounts of radiation she was exposed to during the last war. He caught a red flash out of the corner of his eye. A photo on the fridge, glowing red.  
He walked over to it and examined it. It was his father standing in front of a delivery truck, wearing a green company uniform. Something was off. His father didn’t work for a company. He did deliveries, yes, but he was a freelancer – mostly worked with The Bakkers. Then it came to him all at once. His father didn’t die chasing after him – he died doing his job. He was caught in a dust storm on a delivery.

He pressed play. He was staring up at his mother.  
“Mom,” he said, “wait, I have something to show you!”  
He stood up and ran over to the fridge and grabbed the picture. His head was, once again, being crushed under enormous pressure.  
“I told you to get out!” she screamed.  
“Look! The picture!” He held out the picture in front of her. Dad never worked for a company – and I didn’t run away this time – I never ran away once you got sick. I would never…”  
Her face went blank and she began to slowly flicker. Then, as Hermes had done, she became an outline of bright-red pixels. Fury once again radiated from her. She raised her arms.  
“Mom!” he pleaded. Not know what to do, he gave in to his instincts. He threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly. “I miss you so much.”  
Fear and shame seeped from the pixels and wound their way around him. He squeezed tighter and thought of the memories he had of her. The Sunday morning breakfasts, the times when he was sick in bed and she took care of him, the long chats about the girls he liked in school. The bad feelings began to fade.  
“I wish I would’ve been around more,” he whispered into her ear. “I wish you could see me now.”  
The room began to fade. She dissolved into his arms and he stood alone in the swirling light.

He watched the memory reconstruct. Watched as he and his mom sat at the kitchen table crying together, hugging each other over the loss of his father. And then it was gone.

There were two more memories. In the next one, V found himself with Jackie outside of Yorinobu’s penthouse. They had altered the memory so that V had been directly responsible for Jackie’s death. That had been a tough one to overcome.  
In the last one he stood off the highway next to Panam, looking out over Night City. She had accused him of taking everything from her – of being responsible for the deaths of Scorpion, Saul, Bobby, Ted, and others. She had implied that she was staying with him because she had nothing else left. That had dug deep. But he knew Panam. He knew she didn’t feel that way, and never did. There were certain things these guys could never touch – Mr. B and the rest. Certain things they could never understand.

He was once again surrounded by swirling light, waiting for Vanya. She appeared before, looking worried.  
“V, I’ve got the others sorted out, but Panam…”  
“What is it?!”  
“She’s stuck on a memory. I can’t help her.”  
“Get me in there,” said V with urgency.  
“Okay,” said Vanya. “I can get you in, but…”  
“Just do it!”


	11. Chapter 11

_We live and we die, we know not why_  
 _But I'll be with you when the deal goes down_  
\- Bob Dylan

“Okay,” said Vanya. “But be careful. The more you interfere, the more her subconscious will recognize you as an intruder. It will try to attack you.”

White light swirled around V again and he felt the sensation of flying, like he was being thrust through an air tunnel. His first impression upon arriving in Panam’s memory was a feeling of dislocated familiarity. He felt tinges of emotions and faint sensations that weren’t his but that he deeply connected to. He wondered if Vanya had experienced something similar in his memory.  
His vision began to come into focus. Unlike what he had experienced with his memories, the scene in front of him was shimmering and hazy. He tried make out where he was. Polished floors. Bright blue lights along the floor. Dim red emergency lights. His stomach sank with recognition. Mikoshi. He looked around for Panam, but it was difficult to make much else out. His vision was like a T.V with a bad signal.

“Panam!” he shouted, his voice echoing in an oddly muffled way.

There was no response. He started walking forward. Each step took an immense amount of effort, like his body weighed three times as much as normal. Something was wrong.  
The floor started to feel slick beneath his feet. He looked down. Blood. A few paces ahead he spotted a pair of boots, then legs. “Saul,” he thought.  
He drew nearer. Curled up against the wall near Saul’s body sat Panam. She was staring unblinkingly down at Saul’s body.

“Panam!”

She gave no reaction. In fact, she seemed to be frozen.

He ran toward her and knelt down to grab her shoulder. The moment his hand touched her he was flung back violently into the main room beyond the hallway.  
He groaned and tried to get to his feet. Something felt different. A voice sounded behind him.

“Interesting…”

He recognized the savage, metallic voice before he turned around to look. Adam Smasher – just as he was the last time he saw him.

“Panam’s subconscious…” he mumbled. “Just had to be you.”  
“No Johnny-boy this time?” said Smasher mockingly. “Shame.”

He began sprinting toward V. Terror flooding him, he looked around frantically. Saul’s shotgun lay on the floor a few feet away. He dove for it, managed to grab hold of it and spun around just in time to fire off a shot. Smasher skidded to avoid the blast, but was clipped in the shoulder, sending him off-balance. V scrambled to his feet and ran for cover behind a pillar, just as Smasher released a hail of mini-rockets at him.  
He peered around the pillar but saw Smasher nowhere. There was a bang and the pillar above him shook. He quickly raised the shotgun and fired a blast upwards, hitting Smasher’s knee as he jumped down on him, sending it wide of his torso. Nevertheless, Smasher managed to pin his body to the ground. He bent his head close to V’s, his glowing red eyes glaring down at him maliciously.

“End of the line, you fuckin’ meat.”

He raised his fists into the air, and as he brought them down toward V, his head exploded. For a few seconds, the cyborg body sat tottering over V and then slumped over to the side and disappeared. V looked around and saw Panam standing in the doorway to the hall, holding a pistol.

“Panam!”  
He stood up painfully, ran over to her. He held her by the shoulders and peered into her face.  
“V?”  
She had a glazed look in her eyes.  
“Panam, we’ve got to get you outta here. Outta this memory.”  
Panam looked down dejectedly.  
“I know.”  
“Panam, this memory isn’t real.”

Before he could say anything more, the memory began rewind before their eyes and Panam was thrust back into it. V watched as the memory version of himself fought Adam Smasher alongside Panam and defeated him. He watched as Panam ran back to Saul who, unlike in reality, had not been decapitated, but impaled through the gut. He was spluttering with the last dregs of life as Panam reached him.

“You got what you wanted, didn’t you…” wheezed Saul. “Sole leadership of the clan.”  
“Saul, no…”  
“Shut up. Your selfishness ugh…led this clan to its downfall. You will soon lead them all to their deaths.”  
V paused the memory.  
“Panam, this isn’t real! This isn’t how it happened. Saul would never–“  
“He would never say it,” said Panam quietly. “But it’s true.”  
“Bullshit,” said V. “You loved Saul. He was family.”  
“Fuck, you don’t understand!” shouted Panam, standing up and slamming her fist into the wall. “Scorpion, Ted, Bobby,… Saul – their deaths are all on me! It’s only a matter of time before–“  
“Listen,” said V. “Saul and the others – they all knew what they were doin’. Did it willingly. Do you really think they’d blame you? That they’d want their deaths to torture you? You need to forgive yourself, Panam.”  
“I’m not looking for forgiveness. I just need it all to mean something, you know?” Tears had begun to stream down her face.  
He held her in his arms and she rested her forehead against his chest.  
“It does. We’re here because of them. And we can make it worth it by pushin’ on to better days.”  
“Okay,” said Panam, pulling away and looking down at Saul’s body. “Thanks, V. I need to do this on my own, though.”  
“You sure?”  
“I will see you when I’m finished.”  
“You got it. Vanya, “he said into his comms. “I’m ready to come back.”

A little while later V came to gasping. He was on chair that resembled one netrunners use in a dimly lit room. He unplugged the cord from his head and looked around. Panam, Johnny, and Rogue were doing the same in nearby.

“Hot damn,” said Johnny standing up. “That’s enough fuckin’ trips down memory lane.”  
V looked at Panam and she nodded reassuringly.  
“Welcome back,” said Vanya’s voice into their comms. “There are guards outside the door. You’ll need to take care of them.”  
“Just tell us where Alt is,” said Johnny with a serious look on his face.  
“She’s not far.”

Johnny punched the controls next to the door and the door slid open. The guards reacted quickly but Johnny smashed one in the face with his silver fist and grabbed the other in a choke hold. Rogue picked up their guns and tossed one to V.  
“Let’s move.”  
“Down the hall to the left,” said Vanya urgently.

The rushed down the hall, single file, Johnny in the lead. The door at the end of the hall slid open, revealing a small room and Alt lying in its center, surrounded by odd equipment, a man in a lab coat standing over her. The man turned with surprise and opened his mouth to say something but Johnny put a bullet in his head and ran over to Alt’s side. She was covered in injuries, which V assumed were inflicted by the strange instruments around her.

“Alt!” shouted Johnny, grasping her face.  
She winced and moaned and her eyes opened a little.  
“What the fuck have they done to her?”  
“Looks like torture,” said Rogue.  
“Alt, I got you,” whispered Johnny in an uncharacteristically tender voice.  
“I have to wonder,” said Vanya, “if they didn’t determine this was a more lucrative way of getting information out of her. Pain is persuasive.”  
“Fucking savages,” said Panam.  
“We’re gettin’ her outta here,” said Johnny, scooping Alt up in his arms and walking out of the room.  
“Vanya,” said Rogue, following Johnny. “What’s our exit?”  
“Service elevator on the other side of the hall. Delamain is waiting.”  
“Hold on,” said V. “We need to make sure these guys can’t find us again. We need to wipe what they have on us if we’re ever going to be safe.”  
“That’s risky, V,” said Vanya. “That info’s encrypted past what I can access from here. You’d need to get to a main terminal.”  
“Where’s the nearest one?”  
“V,” said Johnny, stopping in front of the elevator. “I need one more favour. Blow this place to hell.”  
“Johnny…”  
“Please, V.”  
“Just get Alt out of here. Vanya, what are my options?”  
“Uh…” There was silence for a few seconds. “There’s an electrical room with a terminal on the tenth floor. You could manually overcharge the circuits. Wouldn’t blow anything up, but they’d have a helluva fire. I could sabotage the sprinkler system.”  
The elevator opened. They all stepped in.  
“Alright,” said V. “Panam–“  
“Let’s light these fuckers up,” she said determinedly.  
The doors opened on the tenth floor.  
“We’ll hold the cab,” said Johnny. “And thanks, V. You too, Panam.”

Panam and V sprinted down the hallway, rounded a corner and came across two guards. V dispatched them quickly and Panam armed herself.  
“It’s in here,” said Panam, pointing to a door a few feet away.  
“They’ll know you’re here as soon as you boot up the terminal,” said Vanya. “Be quick.”

The electrical room was massive. Switchboards and transformers lined the room as far as they could see.  
“Up and to the right,” said Vanya.  
They hurried to the terminal and V jacked in.  
“It’ll take some time to crack this,” he said. “Work on our escape route, Vanya.”  
“I will see to the circuits,” said Panam.

Several agonizingly long minutes passed until finally V cracked the security.

“Shouldn’t take long now.”

A database with hundreds of names came up on the screen. V scrolled through them and stopped, in shock. Two names had jumped out at him – Jefferson and Elizabeth Peralez. Only now did he make the connection. The force that had been behind the nightmare of the now mayor and his wife’s lives over the past year was the same one now plaguing them.  
But he didn’t have time to linger on this revelation. He deleted their files. “I hope that helps them out,” thought V. He continued scrolling and deleted the files on all four of them, which included satellite tracking mechanisms.  
“Alright, let’s get out of here!” he shouted across the room to Panam.  
“Leaving so soon?” said a familiar voice from all around him.  
Mr B’s face appeared on monitors all over the room, including at the terminal in front of him.  
“Such pleasant guests we have, don’t we Hermes?”  
Hermes appeared around the corner with a wide smile, holding Panam hostage.  
“You’re going to fuckin’ regret laying a hand on her,” seethed V.  
“She is a rather attractive piece of meat, isn’t she,” said Hermes mockingly. He breathed in her hair and Panam squirmed. “All these new… sensations. I think I might explore them a little before I kill her.”  
V’s hands shook with rage.  
“This charade has gone on long enough,” interrupted Mr. B. “I kept you alive out of curiosity, and because you made rather nice test subjects. But you’ve become a nuisance.”  
“V,” said Vanya. “Soldiers are on their way. I’ve managed to divert them several times, but they’ll make it through eventually.”  
“V,” said Panam calmly. “You remember the cowboy?”  
Then without waiting for a response, she back-kicked Hermes in the knee. With a lightning fast motion, V fired and hit Hermes in the neck. Panam stumbled several feet forward and V put another few bullets into Hermes. Panam ran toward a big latch and slammed it down. The power surged and then transformers all around them began to crackle.  
Mr B.’s face began to flash and break up. His voice came out distorted and sinister.  
"You are primitive. You think you've defeated me, but you are wrong. I can't be killed. I will be back."  
“We’ll be long gone, asshole!” shouted V. “Panam, let’s go!”

They sprinted from the room. Small explosions were sounding from the rooms around them as they ran down the hall.  
“The stairs!” said Vanya.  
They took the stairs several at a time. They could hear the heavy boots and yelling of guards above them. A small group of guards appeared on a landing just below them, but V and Panam managed to take them out quickly and continue down.

They burst through the door on the main floor and rushed to the side exit Vanya had identified. They could see beyond the door that a group of guards had surrounded the Delamain cab.  
“We’re here!” shouted V into the comms.  
Immediately, hatches all over the cab opened up and began blasting the guards, clearing a way for them. They shot their way through the glass and dove in the door that had just opened. Delamain sped away. V turned around in his seat to look back at the building. Flames danced inside the glass on most of the levels.

It was the morning of the next day, and they sat in the living room of one of Rogue’s safehouses. Johnny and Vik came out of the room Alt was resting in.  
“How’s she doin’?” asked V.  
“She’ll be alright,” said Vik. “Just needs rest.”  
“Really appreciate it, Vik.”  
“It’s strange,” said Johnny, grabbing a chair and sitting down. “Sounds more… human. And I don’t just think it’s cause she’s got a body again.”  
Rogue looked sideways at Johnny, an odd look on her face.  
“Who knows,” said V. “Could be the human side comin’ out of her again.”  
“The world you guys live in,” said Vik shaking his head. “Never ceases to amaze me.”  
Vanya emerged from Alt’s room, her eyes a little watery.  
“How do you feel?” said Rogue.  
“Like I’ve got a sister again.” She stood against the door. “It’s gonna take some getting used to.”

An hour or so later, they were standing outside the building next to a car Rogue had gifted to V and Panam.  
“Papers are inside,” said Rogue. “Should get you across the border no problem.”  
“V,” said Johnny, grasping his hand. “Won’t forget what you did for us. And Panam,” he pulled her in and hugged her. “Gonna miss you guys.”  
“Can always visit. Gotta tent with your name on it,” smiled V.  
“Got some stuff to take care of first. Got a feeling Alt’s not done with these guys.”  
“Stay safe, Johnny.”  
“Safe’s no fun,” said Johnny with a wink.

EPILOGUE

The wind rustled gently against the stone and sand of the Arizona desert. The stars shone brightly through the clear sky and Panam’s body felt warm against his. They lay high atop a stone outcrop, looking out across the landscape and feeling like they could touch the stars. Panam’s hand lay tenderly on his chest, a large gem glinting on her finger in the starlight.  
“Feel’s strange,” said Panam. “Open road ahead, and nothing behind us. Where do we go?”  
“Doesn’t matter,” said V. “As long as we’re together.”

NOTE

I wanted to thank all of you for making it this far and support the story! It’s been amazing reading all your comments and seeing how much a lot of you have gotten out of this. There are more stories to tell with V and Panam, but for now, I’m going to focus on other projects. I’ll revisit my favourite Aldecaldos when the time’s right.  
Take care, chooms!  
flakesoffire


End file.
